Rogue
by Seul Desir
Summary: Updated after THREE YEARS! Rogue feels threatened by a newcomer to the mansion, legendary archaeologist Lara Croft. Can she set aside her anger in time to help the X-Men and Lara thwart the Brotherhood's plans to destroy mankind?
1. Is that a Challenge?

_Darkness._

_Silence._

_Death._

Mangled bodies in putrid heaps littered the terrain. The nauseating scent of rotting corpses flooding the atmosphere and milky white bones gleaming in the pale moonlight were the only occupants of this barren land. The rich, deep brown soil produced maggots, which slowly infiltrated their victims' bodies. Through nostrils, ears, anuses, and eye sockets, they crawled into the corpses and fed off of the sweet intestines and rot, which they craved.

Mucous covered insects quickly infested the area in search of food. A sickening sight to be held in the memory. Arachnids gnawed on their victims, sinking their sharp mandibles into decaying flesh. Fingers of the victims were soon nibbled away, the bones exposed. Blood dripped from the hard shells of cockroaches, maggots, arachnids, and vermin alike as the corpses were slowly consumed.

One survivor stood amidst the feast and scanned the scene with no sorrow. The slight crunching of bone, flesh, cartilage, and soft tissue was nothing out of the ordinary. No pity, no regret, not even disdain. For what creature deserved her pity? What human being deserved even her loathe? Stepping without a care, the woman traversed the disgusting terrain and mounted her motorcycle. With not so much as a cursory glance, she sped away.

/-/

Morning sunlight poured through the light, pellucid drapes, awakening the students in their room. Bright, refreshed pupils stretched their arms above their heads and yawned. Looking around the room and discovering that everyone was awake, they all smiled and rose from their comfortable beds. Warm greetings of friendship welcomed everyone as they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. But then the real day began...

"Get out of there! You've been in there forever!"

Loud shouts and screams sounded throughout the entire vicinity as each student lined up for the bathroom. _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ One girl pounded on the solid oak door again.

"Come on, Rogue, let someone else have their turn! You can't be _that_ disgusting. You took a shower last week!" Laughs followed the girl's facetious remark and the door finally opened.

"Thank the Lord! I was beginning to think you were dead!" Jubilee patted Rogue on the shoulder as the teenager emerged from the bathroom. D'Ancanto only gave her friend a steely glare and paced toward her room. Turning the knob, Rogue pushed open the door to her dorm and collapsed onto her bed.

She had woken up early to take a leisurely shower, but no matter how much earlier she had woken up, it hardly mattered. Soon, the raging stampede of wild animals would come pounding on the door and her time of bliss would be over. Rogue sighed; it was always the same routine. Nevertheless, she loved living in the mansion, going to the school. She knew that there was nowhere else that she could ever belong.

Truthfully, if there _were_ such a place, Rogue wouldn't think of leaving anyway! She had friends here. Some so close, they felt like family. And then there was Bobby...

Rogue smiled as the thought of Bobby Drake encompassed her mind in a fantasy of pure lust and passion.

_'Iceman,'_ she thought. Then out loud, "What I'd do to warm him up…"

But her mind interrupted her one moment of glee. She was talking about intercourse when her mutation forbade even the simplest touch! Skin-to-skin contact was something that Rogue simply could not do… unless she wanted to kill whomever it was that she was touching.

She sighed again. Life could be so difficult.

/-/

The purring of the motorcycle stopped as the woman, clad in black, disabled the engine. Leaning the motorcycle onto the kickstand, she walked away and entered a regal looking mansion.

The woman's luscious, dark brown hair was tied behind her and plaited tightly. The black combat boots which she wore were caked with mud and tiny blades of grass. Quickly, she disposed of them near the door and shrugged herself out of the leather jacket that had made its home on her lithe frame. Casting aside her dark sunglasses, the woman glanced around her mansion suspiciously and placed her hands at her sides.

She felt cold metal on her fingertips as she slowly reached for her guns at her sides. She could tell that something was out of place here, and someone needed to be eradicated.

Suddenly, the woman whisked her pistols out of the holsters and spun to her right. She aimed them at...

"Surprise?" One disheveled man said warily.

Placing the weapons back in their holsters after a spinning them quickly, the woman sighed and let her shoulders fall in agitation. The man that had spoken walked toward her.

"Lara, it's good to see you home! Although... we were kind of hoping you _wouldn't_ point a gun at us..."

Lara smiled at her tech and rubbed his messy hair, "Bryce, you know you shouldn't do that. You know how I am..."

"I know, I know," the tech cut her off, "but it was fun thinking about it." Lara nodded and embraced her tech shortly. He smiled and gestured toward all of the people behind him, "There's relatives here to wish you a happy birthday. At least, I think they are..." Bryce winked and pushed her toward her guests, "Go on, they won't bite!" Reluctantly, Lara walked toward the crowd of people and began conversation.

"Oh, my," an elder lady began, "you are _filthy_, dearest. Why don't you go change and we'll wait down here?"

Lara looked down at herself and noticed the mud on her boots, the grass clinging to almost every inch of her leg, and the splotches of blood that adorned her entire outfit. She noticed the horrified look on her relatives' faces and laughed darkly.

"Yes, well, I always think a little blood here and there completes an ensemble." She smirked privately as her aunts and uncles looked at her in confusion. Satisfied, she turned to leave, but something caught her ear.

"...that mutant registration law..."

Croft stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around, now facing some of Bryce's relatives. Lara advanced on the men and women and they all looked toward her.

"Happy Birthday, Lara!" One of them yelled and clapped her on the shoulder.

Lara managed a smile and then began to speak. "Someone here mentioned a 'Mutant Registration Law'? May I pry and ask what that might be?"

Every eye now fixed on her and she felt somewhat embarrassed. Was she _supposed_ to know? Lara simply waited for someone to reply. Finally, someone did.

"Lara... you... you haven't heard about the mutants?" A hesitant question came from an older-looking woman, possibly Bryce's mother or aunt.

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't." Croft replied shortly, wishing someone would just bloody tell her what they were. Someone else began to speak; now it was a younger man that appeared about thirty. His deep voice plunged into her ears as he explained the situation:

"Mutants are said to be caused by some form of genetic mutation. These specific... uh... beings possess powers such as: walking through walls, teleporting, healing, even telekinesis and telepathy. They mostly keep to themselves and don't tell anyone what they are. This 'Mutant Registration Law', or act, will ensure that each and every mutant identifies him or herself so that we know exactly what they are and what they are capable of doing. Really, it is an ingenious act, which is why I strongly support it."

Lara stood dumbfounded for a moment as she absorbed the man's words. She parted her full lips to speak.

"I'm sorry, sir, but even though I do not know anything about this particular issue, I must say that some of your comments were rather offensive." Lara watched the man straighten and cock his head at her slightly. She continued, "Using the term 'what' when speaking of a human being is surely inappropriate and I am positive that if you were one of these 'mutants' you would want to be regarded with the same term as that of any other homo sapiens on this earth. Am I correct in assuming this?"

The small group around her stood in silence, each mouth open and eyes staring blankly at her. The cocky man licked his lips and spoke to her again.

"Miss Croft, with all do respect, I'm sure that you wouldn't want to even spend _time_ with these..." Lara narrowed her eyes as the man found another word to say besides _freaks_. "...beings," he finished shortly.

Lara sneered at him and folded her arms, "Who let you into my house?"

/-/

*A/N: Thanks for reading!


	2. Coquetry

Mid-day finally arrived and the halls were immediately flooded with the entire student body. The quick shuffling of feet and loud conversations could be heard as everyone emerged from their classrooms and hastily made his or her way toward the dining hall. One mutant in particular strayed away from the teeming masses and headed calmly toward the front door of the mansion. Pushing the solid door open, the mutant stepped outside and inhaled the fresh February air.

"Rogue!" The female mutant spun around and caught sight of her two best friends- Kitty Pryde and Jubilation Lee. Rogue smiled, "What's up, guys?" Kitty and Jubilee ran up to her and Rogue noticed the somber expressions on their faces. "You're skipping lunch _again_, Marie? This is the third time this week..."

Rogue's eyes became dark as she pushed a white lock of hair away from her face, "Guys, it's not what you think. You've seen me eat! It's not like I'm anorexic or somethin', you know?" And suddenly Rogue's eyes widened at the new expression that adorned her friend's faces.

_Skepticism._

An uproar. "I don't believe it!" Marie threw up her gloved hands as her voice rose. Jubilee backed away slightly and Kitty flinched. Rogue stood still for a moment and felt her blood boiling inside of her. Never had she been so insulted...

The girls in front of her just stood there. Apparently, they weren't even about to reply. Rogue became agitated, "Fine," she said, "you believe what you will. I don't need friends like you."

"Rogue, that's not right! You know we're your friends! We don't think you're anorexic..."

"That's right," Jubilee cut in, "we were just a little worried and we blew it out of proportion. And you're absolutely right: we've seen you eat!" Jubilee smirked hopefully and Rogue felt her anger wash away. She wanted to be angry but... she couldn't. There were no reasons.

"So, it's not an issue?" Rogue asked tentatively. Kitty and Jubilee shook their heads, "Nope. Now, let's go scope out the boys. I hear John's wearing the _hottest_ shirt!" All three friends laughed hysterically. "Yeah, and Bobby's pretty _cool_ as well!"

Problems now forgotten, the three teenagers strolled back toward the mansion.

____

Books one after another were thrown rapidly across the room. Old phone books lay scattered across the entire room, the white and yellow pages blanketing the wine-colored carpet with phone numbers.

Lara Croft stood in the midst of it all, an inkling of Déjà vu enveloping her. Although, the mansion was not a barren wasteland and the phone books were not maggot-infested, bleeding, rotting corpses. She sighed and rubbed her temples to compose herself.

She couldn't find anything, no bit of information that gave her any clues as to where to find 'mutants'. She remembered the arrogant man had said that they mostly kept to themselves, but Lara would not give up her search. When Lara Croft was met with a challenge, she did _not_ back down.

Stealthily, the Tomb Raider crept down the extensive hallway and paused at the grand staircase. Hiding partly behind a large column, she scanned the crowd for her eccentric tech. She found him.

"Come on," she said underneath her breath, "look up here." As if he had heard her, Bryce looked up to where she was at that very second and she wasted no time in waving him up.

Bryce, the ever sophisticated and articulate, slapped his friend on the back and said, "Can't wait, mate." Lara grimaced in short amusement as Bryce held his stomach and made a rude noise. But seemingly, his crudeness worked, and in a matter of moments Bryce reached the top of the stairs, "What's up?" His wide brown eyes were intent on her as he waited for something interesting to escape her lips. Lara knew that inside of his hard-drive for a brain, he secretly wished that she would want him to perform some task that would enable him to sneak away from the "party" with a good excuse.

Lara laughed at the disheveled tech and smiled, "Don't worry Bryce, I'll at least get you away for a bit. I need you to look up something for me..."

____

Several different tones of laughter emitted from the group of friends as they sat around a large circular table. Rogue had strategically placed herself right next to Bobby, letting her legs graze his once in a while. She had thought that her actions had been in vain, so reluctantly, she stopped; but then she felt something against _her_ leg... Surreptitiously looking down, Rogue caught sight of Bobby's leg retracting from hers. She looked up to his face, but his expressions gave nothing away. He continued to chuckle at the random jokes that people threw around. Rogue blushed.

"What's wrong Rogue? You look flushed," Jubilee gave her friend an intent look. Rogue blushed more when all of the faces turned toward her. "Nothing," she stated firmly. "Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Cynical looks greeted her everywhere she turned. Desperately, she tried to change the subject, "So, who's going to the dance?"

Immediately, everyone's attention was turned away as the girls talked about their outfits, makeup and hair. The guys avoided the topic at all costs and chatted amongst themselves about miscellaneous "boy things". Rogue sighed and sat back in her chair. The familiar leg rubbed up against hers again and Bobby whispered, "Nice goin'." Marie simply blushed and muttered a faint 'thank you'.

Bobby still advanced, "So... are _you_ going to the dance?"

Rogue stared blankly at him and turned slightly away at his penetrating gaze. "I...I don't know," she stammered, "I haven't thought about it." Iceman gave her a cynical look and she smiled, "Well, I mean, I haven't found the right guy to go with." Her voice took on a seductive tone as she spoke- naïve... innocent. Bobby Drake gave her an ice-melting smile and Rogue felt the blood rush to her face again.

____

Charles Xavier reeked of authority as he sat in his black wheelchair. His royal blue suit accented his crystal blue eyes beautifully. Gingerly, he sat the receiver back into its place and pondered the current situation.

Just moments ago, he had received a call about his 'school'. Somehow, the person had found out about Xavier's establishment and that it involved a great population of mutants; she wanted to visit. Of course, Charles had found all of this particularly odd, but another thought struck him. _It may be a learning tool for the rest of the school._ Why not expose the students to someone who has _not_ mutated so that they can be assured that not all people are malignant? Yes, that might work.

The woman had sounded decent enough. Her British accent flowed through the receiver and into Xavier's ears so marvelously. It was light and sophisticated. Yes, he told her that she could stay. He had asked her why she wanted to and her answer was quite startling. _She didn't know about 'mutants'._ Of course, it was even more odd when she hadn't even used the term 'mutants'. She had used... what was it? Ah, 'genetically enhanced human beings'.

Xavier smiled warmly to himself. He was going to like this newcomer- he could feel it.


	3. Simple Introductions

*A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't uploaded in so long, I was banned from FF.Net for a while! Well, hope you like the next chapter. I promise there will be WAY more action in later installments!

_______________________________________

The loud purring of the engine ceased as Lara Croft dismounted her Norton Streetfighter in front of the Xavier Mansion. She hadn't felt necessarily impressed yet; the mansion was nothing that she wasn't used to. But something inside of her told her that her stay at this particular manor would be of the utmost interest and intrigue.

Pushing the minute thoughts out of her mind for the moment, she knocked on the prodigious wooden door and waited for an answer. Lara barely had to wait a moment when she heard the scurrying of feet and the sound of a lock clicking. The door swung open and revealed a somewhat tall man with short brown hair. He had a very distinguishable jaw and he wore the most peculiar type of glasses...

"Lady Croft, I presume?" The man spoke to her in a definite American accent and Lara found herself smiling. Politely she reached out her hand, "Yes, and you are?" Her greeter shook her hand warmly and returned the smile, "Scott. Scott Summers." An awkward silence followed until, "Oh! I'm sorry. Come in, please." Lara stepped inside of the manor as Scott moved out of the way. Quietly, he shut the door behind him and ushered her elsewhere.

"It's best not to make any noise just yet. None of the children know that you are coming... here, rather," he flashed his pearly whites. Lara found this man to be very sweet. He absolutely radiated charm and was probably a gentleman; too bad Lara had no fascination for any person that fit that type of qualification. But nevertheless, he seemed like an all-around decent guy.

Quickly, Scott led the new guest toward Professor Xavier's office. Peeking around a couple of corners first, he motioned her inside of another room and closed the door behind them.

Lara now found herself inside of a most comfortable room. The hearth held a roaring fire and it was pleasantly warm, unlike the chilling weather outside. Numerous bookshelves embellished the vicinity, and each book that occupied a shelf was neatly situated and stood pristinely in its place. Lara felt that she was going to like it here. Then her thoughts were interrupted by the most soothing voice she had ever heard.

"Lady Croft, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Charles Xavier. Please, do sit down."

Lara nodded and took a seat in a leather chair before the speaker. She studied him politely for a moment. He was an older man, but Lara sensed in him much honor and wisdom. She immediately felt comfortable with this man although she could say why. Truthfully, Croft had never trusted anyone so suddenly, so forthwith. But dismissing the matter, she surrendered her ears to the smooth tones of his voice.

"I must say that when you called I was rather perplexed. I imagined that everyone knew about mutants from the news." He stared at her, but not rudely, simply in undeniable interest. Lara briefly laughed and spoke, "It's not unusual that I've missed something that has recently divulged itself. I'm afraid I have a bad habit of secluding myself from the world; I'm always preoccupied."

Xavier chuckled slightly and his light blue eyes twinkled in amusement. "It's very rare to see someone that doesn't want their share of political viewpoints. I would say, Lady Croft, that you are unique." All the tomb raider could do was smile. Had he ever heard of her? It seemed that this man knew more than he cared to explain. A sudden intrusion in her thoughts stirred her, but it was fleeting and she couldn't quite catch it. 

Before she could question herself, Xavier began to speak again, "You're probably wondering if I've ever come across your name in my years." Lara looked up abruptly and peered at him through narrowed eyes. Wasn't she just thinking about that...?

The Professor continued, "And the answer is yes. In fact, I was quite pleased to find that you were interested in my establishment here. Although..." He paused for a moment as if to consider his statement, "I would like to know how you ever discovered us?"

Baffled, Lara thought about what he had just said. Yes, she had discovered ancient relics and tombs, artifacts of great value, but never would she classify _this_ as a discovery! "Mr. Xavier..."

"Please, call me Professor. Everyone else does; it seems to grow on you."

Lara redirected herself and began again, "Professor, I didn't mean to intrude upon your institution. I only wished to further my knowledge on which that I do not understand." She watched as the same twinkle darted across Xavier's eyes. His pale lips curled into a warm smile, "By all means, Lady Croft, I would not even fathom this as an intrusion! This is certainly a welcome occurrence; I hope that you enjoy your stay with us." He then directed his eyes away from hers and met Scott's ruby-quartz glasses, "Scott, please escort Lady Croft to her room."

With an acknowledging nod toward Xavier, Lara turned and joined Scott by the door. Then before completely exiting the room, she turned around and spoke to the professor, "And it's Lara, Professor." At the amused smile on Xavier's lips, Lara formed her fingers into two guns and clicked her tongue. With that, she followed Scott down the hall.

"Do you have any luggage, Lady..."

"Mr. Summers, please call me Lara. The formal introductions are over; I'm sorry if you've missed them."

Scott was suddenly taken aback at her harsh statement, but he noticed the smile creeping up on her full lips. He smirked and shook his head, "_Lara_, do you have any bags?" He watched as the brunette shook her head. "Not as of now. They should arrive tomorrow via the airline service. There were quite a few that needed to be..."

Scott cocked his head at her a moment until she finished her sentence, "...checked."

She shrugged but Scott didn't let the subject go, "What did they needed to be checked for?" He watched Lara's mouth form into a mischievous grin. "Guns," she stated shortly. "I don't go anywhere without guns. I showed them my permits at the station, and they agreed that they were legal, but there was some ordeal about them having to keep them overnight."

Slowly, almost in disbelief, Scott nodded. "Does Xavier know about this?" He was surprised by her answer. "Yes. Yes he does. In fact, he didn't dispute the idea. He said that he had heard of me before. And anyone that's heard of me understands why I always carry a firearm... or two. And besides, if you really have your special 'powers', why can't I have mine?"

The man considered for a moment and agreed. "Well, Lady... uh, Lara, I hope that you find your stay here pleasant. I'll send Ororo here in the morning to kind of "brief" you for tomorrow. She'll show you around as well, kinda let you get used to your surroundings. Oh, and the children might seem a little creepy at first, but don't mind them. They'll just be curious. And if I know some of them well enough," He paused and laughed for a moment, "you'll have the most interesting time you've ever had in your life."

Lara was intrigued, "Then that's a promise then?" Scott exited the room and stood with one hand clasping the doorknob. A sly smile spread across his face, "Definitely. Good night, Lara." And with that, he shut the door.

Ten minutes later Lara Croft lied in bed, the cool sheets making her body shiver. 'Yes, this would be a most educating experience,' she thought. But who knew how much more lied ahead.


	4. Loathe Begins

"Have you heard...?"

"Did you see...?"

"Scott knows..."

Gossip spread like a conflagration through the Xavier Mansion. Word had escaped that a new person had taken residence at the school and every student wanted to know who he or she was.

Bobby Drake and his best friend St. John Allerdyce sat together at a table and conversed quietly.

"Did you see them?" Bobby asked inquisitively. Pyro shook his head. "I only got a brief look, man. But I'm tellin' ya it's a female. Long brown hair, tight..."

"Hello, boys," another voice interrupted their conversation. It was Marie D'Ancanto, Rogue to everyone who didn't want to fall into a fatal coma. Her medium length brown hair fell neatly onto her shoulders and the wisps of white framed her face neatly. She smiled at Bobby and he grinned back at her.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Pyro muttered. Bobby smacked him hard on the shoulder and directed his attention toward Rogue. "So," he began, "got any news on this mystery guest? John here tells me that..."

A sudden pain in his right foot cut Bobby's sentence off short. He glared at John for a moment. The boy raised one of his eyebrows and stopped flicking his lighter. "I'm sure she doesn't want to know about what I've told you, _Iceman_," he spat. Bobby was taken aback. Apparently, Pyro didn't like Marie very much.

As if she didn't hear the argument between the two guys, Rogue plopped herself down into a chair at their table. She neatly avoided the sour looks from John. Bobby only smiled as the pain in his foot subsided.

"Rogue, do you know anything?"

The girl shook her head. "I haven't seen 'em. I've heard rumors. 'It's a guy!' 'It's a girl!'... who knows! They could be a transvestite for all we know."

Bobby snickered and watched as Pyro stifled a laugh. Iceman knew that John didn't want Rogue to know that he was acknowledging her. He was going to play it cool and avoid her at all costs. That was fine with Bobby though; he wanted Rogue all to himself. In fact...

"Rogue, would you mind having lunch with me later?" The words flowed out of his mouth much faster than he wanted them to. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to say them but... Yes, yes he did.

Marie smiled at the charming boy in front of her. She had never felt this way about anyone! Bobby was really sweet and fun to be around. She decided that she would allow herself to be closer to this one individual, but not close enough to hurt him.

____

A soft knock on the door sounded as Lara Croft finished dressing herself.

"Come in," she called.

Quietly, the oak door was pushed open and Lara turned to see one of the most gorgeous women she had ever seen. This woman's hair was a shocking white, contrasting with her darker skin. Her soft brown eyes peered at Lara with nothing more than kindness and the tomb raider felt at ease with this woman. So far, she enjoyed this experience. If these were mutants, then the world was direly wrong in their convictions.

Lara smiled as the white haired woman stepped closer to her. "Hello, Lady Croft," her soft voice sounded, "My name is Ororo Munroe and I'll be showing you around the mansion."

Both women shook hands as they made their introductions. "Please, Ms. Munroe, call me Lara."

Ororo smiled. "In that case," she said, "call me Storm."

Half a moment passed before Lara said anything. This entire experience was utterly fascinating! She couldn't wait until she met more of the mansion's occupants. And maybe she would see the exact display of their 'powers'.

"If you'll follow me, Lara, we'll get started with the tour."

The tomb raider and mutant made their way down the hallway, conversing and laughing when suddenly...

_Bamf!_

"Bloody he...!"

"Ah, ah, ah! Zis is a school, Ms. Croft. You vouldn't vant ze students to get ze wrong impression, now vould you?"

Lara's eyes widened as a blue figure hung from a chandelier above her; he had black hair, pointed white teeth, and his most notable characteristic: a long blue tail. For a moment, Croft stood, her eyes entirely transfixed upon the startling man that had appeared before her.

Storm placed a reassuring hand on Lara's shoulder. "Lara, this is Kurt Wagner, also called Nightcrawler. He _apologizes_ for his rudeness." At her last statement, she walked to Kurt and yanked on his slender, yet powerful, tail. The mutant came crashing down but disappeared right before he hit the ground.

_Bamf!_

Again, Lara found herself staring at the blue mutant, but this time, he was closer and standing upright. An amused smile appeared on her face and she thrust her hand outward. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wagner!" She exclaimed happily as he grasped her hand, "Amazing."

Nightcrawler smirked as they withdrew hands. His strong-accented voice floated into her ears as he spoke.

"It iz amazing zat you did not react more vhen I appeared. Usually, people go crazy!"

His exclamation made Lara laugh, "I'm sure, Mr. Wagner, if I hadn't seen so many fantastic things in my life, I would have nearly _died _from your entrance. Let's be thankful that I have."

Both Storm and Nightcrawler laughed heartily with her and then Kurt offered to tag along for the remainder of the tour. Eagerly, Lara accepted; she wanted to know _everything_ about these new people.

_'Sadly,'_ she thought, '_other people don't even give them a chance.'_

____

"BOBBY! Come quick!"

John Allerdyce's cry could be heard from almost everywhere in the mansion as he yelled for his friend. Bobby, who had been eating lunch with Rogue and flirting profusely, jumped up immediately at the sound of his name and ran in the direction of his friend. He was oblivious to the loud _huff_ that emitted from Rogue. She was not pleased at his sudden departure. Nevertheless, she felt compelled to follow him and see _exactly_ what was going on.

Iceman scrambled to the window as more students came rushing down the stairs. When Pyro yelled for an audience, _something_ interesting was about to happen. Bobby gasped as he saw who was walking outside with Nightcrawler and Storm.

"I told you, Man!" Pyro yelled triumphantly, "It's a chick!"

Loud conversation filled the entire room. Everyone ran to different windows to peer out on the front grounds. This was exciting, for Xavier had never told anyone about the establishment. This woman must be extremely unique...

Rogue skidded to a halt as she saw everyone crowded around the windows. "What's going on?" She yelled over the noise.

No one answered.

"Hey!" She had to almost scream to get someone's attention.

Jubilee turned around and yanked Rogue closer. "Rogue, the new person! It's a woman. She's down there with Kurt and Ororo! She's gorgeous!"

Marie was about to say something to her friend when Jubilee turned her back toward her and pushed her way toward another window to spy on the threesome below.

_'She can't be that damned interesting,' _Rogue complained internally. With all her strength, the teenager pushed her way toward the front of the mass and found Bobby and John. "Bobby, I was wondering if we could get together tonight and have dinner or something?"

It took him a minute to wrench his eyes from the pane of glass, but he finally turned toward her. He said excitedly into her ear, "I'm sorry, Rogue, but I want to see this newcomer. She looks like she's pretty cool. Maybe next time."

And without another word, he turned back toward the window, leaving a dejected Rogue to ram herself through the crowd.

"Who cares about a stupid new woman," Rogue muttered to herself. "She can't be that fascinating. Just wait, no one will like her and I'll have Bobby all to myself..."

A look of sadness adorned her face as she added the last two words, "I hope."


	5. Curiosity Melts the Ice

Lara Croft walked with Nightcrawler and Storm, asking many questions. Kurt and Ororo exchanged amused looks as the newcomer came up with the most interesting interrogation they had ever come across. It was nice to have a normal person around to talk with- someone who wasn't afraid to touch them or talk with them. It was nice to have a new friend.

"How did mutation first start?" Lara asked hastily. She wanted to know everything. This was an extremely interesting occurrence, and she wasn't about to let it get away from her!

"Mutation has been happening for some time, Lara," Storm began. She furrowed her elegant eyebrows in light thought. "It is just now that it has become wide spread. Now, more mutants are being born and we gain more students every time a child decides that they are not wanted. It's a very sad ordeal, but that is life."

Lara gazed at the white haired beauty for a moment and shook her head sadly. "No, that's not how it should be. People are simply misinformed! If we could get them to see clearly..."

"Ah, but Lara, zere are so many things zat normal people do not understand. It is impossible to make every'vone see exactly ze same way."

The tomb raider nodded as Kurt's thick accent rolled into her ears. She knew that she couldn't make every person in the entire world change their beliefs about mutants, but she so wished that she could. Now that she knew what these people were like, she cursed everyone who thought ill of them.

"But there are other mutants who don't harmonize well," Ororo spoke again. "Their judgments are tragically skewed and they think that the only way for humanity to accept us is if humanity is dead..."

A small gasp escaped Lara's mouth as the new information flooded her mind. So there _was_ a reason for people not to like mutants. But... why would these other mutants be so unlike the ones that Lara was with now?

"I'm not sure I understand," Lara said. "So there are two different _groups_ of mutants?"

Kurt sighed and grasped Lara's hand as the three continued to walk.

"You see, zere is ze Brotherhood, and zere are ze X-Men. Ze X-Men do vhat is necessary for mankind to stay in balance, and ze Brotherhood only exist to force their own convictions upon ze world. It is a cruel existence that zey fill, but no von can stop zem."

"Not even the X-Men?" Lara inquired.

Nightcrawler squeezed her hand before letting it go. His thick accent, which was so refreshing and lovely, now sounded only in a whisper:

"Not even ze X-Men."

As still as it was outside, _inside_, the mansion was bustling with gossip and overflowing with questions.

"I hope she's nice!"

"Do you think...?"

"I heard her name is..."

But the only two who kept to themselves were Pyro and Iceman.

"Ice, I told you she was fine. Way prettier than that Rogue girl..."

Bobby just sighed and whacked his friend over the head with a pillow.

"'Dyce, _this_ is why you don't have a girlfriend. You're too picky! You're not supposed to like a girl because she's pretty or..."

"Has a nice ass?"

"Yes, thank you. She doesn't have to be perfect. She only has to be what you never thought you'd want."

John stared at his friend for a moment and busted out laughing.

"You are _hopeless_, Iceman! Look at you! You're acting like you're so old and wise. I mean, come on- what do we know about love anyway?" Pyro waited for an answer while flicking his lighter. On. Off. Up. Down.

Bobby looked absently out a window and sighed. "'Dyce, you might not know what you want from life, but I think I do. I _know_ that I do. I'm willing to bet that I know what love is more than any other student here; I just... I just _know_."

Pyro stopped playing with his lighter for a moment and stared at Bobby in a bewildered way. He pushed his hair back, away from his eyes, and began to speak softly:

"Bob, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just saying... we're so young! We shouldn't have to worry about love or hate or anything! The only things were should worry about are schoolwork, and how I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Then before Bobby could react, Pyro pounced on him and knocked him backward. Bobby went flying off of his bed and on to the floor.

"Hey!" He yelled. "No fair; I wasn't ready!"

And with that, he took another pillow and smacked John hard in the face. But before he could get another blow in, the pillow was suddenly incinerated and fell onto Bobby's bed in a pile of ash.

Iceman glared at Pyro. "You know, that's the fifth pillow of mine that you've ruined. I think you need to give up _yours!_" Faster than Pyro could retaliate, Bobby jumped onto John's bed and stole his pillow, giving his friend a good smack or two in the process. That was when they heard a knock on the door.

"I got it; I got it," John said, making his way toward the door. He was all smiles before he turned the knob, but when the door was pushed aside, he immediately glowered.

"What do you want?" He spat at the girl in front of him.

She merely glared at him and said, "I'm sorry to disturb whatever you were doing. By the looks of your sweating face, I'd say that you were trying to burn your nasty hair off. But I could be wrong. Now, is Bobby here?"

John felt a small grin creep onto his face, and he didn't try to hide it. The girl also smiled as he replied, "Hold on, I'll get him. BOB!"

Jubilation Lee stood in the doorway as a disheveled Bobby made his way toward her. She smirked at him and said sarcastically, "Well, it's no wonder you blew Rogue off. I see you and John have something going on, so I'll just skidaddle and tell her of your evident change in sexual status..."

Iceman just stood there as Jubilee started to turn around. But in a second, when she realized that he had nothing to say, she spoke again:

"What's a matter with you, Iceman? I was just kidding! Now, you _could_ tell me why you blew off Rogue for dinner tonight."

Again, Bobby was speechless. Finally, he found his voice. "What do you mean, 'blew her off'? I didn't do anything like that!"

"Uh huh..." Jubilee said in mock-thought. "So you blow her off, _and_ you don't remember. Two points off for Bobby Drake on this one."

"Listen, Jubes, I... Oh man."

"Yeah, thought so. She's so jealous, Ice! You should see her! She doesn't even want to meet the new woman because she thinks that you'd rather do that then spend time with her!"

Then Pyro started in on the conversation:

"Hey, it's not his fault if the newcomer's hotter than hell... Rogue needs to keep her damn mouth shut about things she can't control. Rogue's old news! Make sure you tell her that. Buh-bye."

He slammed the door in Jubilee's face and now he stood before a very angry Bobby. A _silently_ angry Bobby.

"Listen, Bob, I didn't mean to say some of those things. They just..."

"No, 'Dyce, it's fine. You're right. Marie needs to stop being so selfish! That new woman seems interesting and I want to meet her. It's not like I'm about to go out with her, because she seems like she's way out of my league, but there's nothing wrong with being curious, now is there?"

His last statement made Pyro smile mischievously. "Yeah, I mean, who cares if this woman is a major _babe_ and she's in her what? - Early twenties? Okay, she looks like she's way more sophisticated than both of us put together but, you said it yourself: "There's nothing wrong with being curious".

Iceman and Pyro smiled at each other and Bobby laughed.

"Just imagine what the older guys are gonna think! If we're this much into this woman and she's out of our league, think about how crazy Logan's gonna be!"

Pyro snickered at Bobby's remark and replied, "Damn, _that_ would raise some controversy, now wouldn't it? Just imagine, a mutant like him and a doll like her? Damn. Just damn."

"And not to mention, Dr. Grey would get a little jealous! She can't deny that she's got an attraction toward Logan. Even if she's _engaged_..."

"Ha!" John laughed, "Maybe Scott would even find an interest in her! Now _that_ would be amusing!"

Bobby lied back on his bed and continued to chuckle. Maybe this woman would cause more trouble than she was worth.


	6. Questions

*A/N: I am TERRIBLY sorry that I haven't been updating! I didn't have an HTML program to write with, so I couldn't upload and then I went to California for 9 days to visit my father. Please forgive me! :'( Well, thank you for holding out this long and I hope that you like the chapter!

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The time to meet the new guest was at hand and the mansion was in an absolute uproar. The entire student body was excited to meet the new resident. Everyone, that is, but Rogue.

The teenager sat on her bed, her large pillow clenched tightly in her lap. Her face was distraught and her hair a mess. Jubilee had tried to console her, but very minimally; she had wanted to get to dinner early to talk with the rest of her friends about the visitor. Rogue huffed to herself and pulled her pillow closer. Who cared about some new woman in the mansion? No one had made such a fuss about _her_ when she came to the manor.

The unfair treatment made Rogue angry. Bobby had blown her off to see this woman, Pyro was being especially sarcastic to her, and Jubilee, one of her best friends, was completely avoiding her! Everyone was so excited about this woman, that no one had time for Rogue. Naturally, as any teen would, she resented the guest.

_It's all her fault, _Rogue thought. _She's stealing my friends and I won't let her do it!_

It was then that Rogue promised herself that she would discourage this woman from staying too long. She would make the guest have the worst time imaginable if it was the last thing that she did.

Dinner came along much too slowly for the student body. The entire dining hall was chatting loudly about what the new resident would be like. They had all seen her; almost every male drooled and almost every girl wanted to meet her. In fact, no one really knew who _didn't_ want to meet this visitor. It was the first time that a normal person had come to the mansion in order to see for themselves how mutants really were. Anyone like that _had_ to be interesting. 

Suddenly, the talking died away and Professor Xavier took his place in front of the children. The room was dead silent.

"As you all know, now is the time to introduce our new guest. She is to be treated with your utmost respect and kindness. The time frame of her stay is unknown, but please do not scare her away."

Everyone laughed, but in the corner was someone who did not even smile.

"Lady Lara Croft has traveled from England to join us and I want everyone to show her how pleased we are that she has come to visit. She is currently on her way toward the dining hall with Storm and Nightcrawler. When she enters, I want you _all_ on your best behavior."

Each student chuckled and nodded at their professor. They all knew that this was a serious matter. If word got out about the X-Men establishment, they would all be doomed. But Xavier seemed supremely confident that this woman was top notch. It didn't take just anyone to enter the mansion. This woman must have Xavier's complete trust.

And then she entered, Ororo at her side and Kurt striding in behind them. The room remained dead silent.

Lara walked into the room and immediately felt uncomfortable. More than a hundred pairs of eyes stared directly at her, but she showed no emotion. Then she studied them all carefully. These were children! They were just normal looking teenagers that had sought refuge at this mansion. How could these people, these beings... be 'mutants'?

"Lady Croft, I am pleased to introduce to you, the students of my institution," Xavier said, his voice low and soothing.

Now Lara had visited many countries, met thousands of people, and spoken many languages, but this was very new to her. Considering her circumstance, _they_ were the foreigners and she was the observer. But to them, she knew, the situation was completely the other way around.

Slowly, Croft stepped to Xavier and began to speak:

"Hello everyone. My name is Lara Croft, but please call me Lara. I have traveled from England to meet you all and I'm very grateful indeed that you have allowed me to take residence in your manor for a time. This may sound surprising, but the reason I am here is because I have never heard of a mutant before, and I am anxious to be informed. If any of you, or all of you, could give me a chance, I'm sure that we could become great friends. I have much to learn, and much to teach in return."

Somewhere in the dining hall, Pyro whispered to Bobby:

"Man, she could teach me _anything _any time!"

Iceman only smirked and shook his head. This... Lara Croft had it all. He was undoubtedly curious about her and he wanted to know everything he could.

Xavier inched forward and took Lara's hand. He smiled and said, "Now, all of you are welcome to come and introduce yourselves to Ms. Croft here, but please do not frighten her off. I'm sure all of you would like to see her stay longer than that."

As soon as Xavier backed his wheelchair away, numerous students hopped out of their chairs and rushed toward Lara. She thought that she hadn't seen something like this in her entire life!

Hand after hand was thrust in her direction and she felt herself being overwhelmed by the crowd. And then she had an idea.

"Everyone, please! I can't get to know all of you this way. Maybe we could all have a nice dinner and I could answer your questions then."

The noise subsided and everyone agreed. In no time, the students were back in their seats and Lara and the professors took their places as well.

As the food was served, Lara asked, "So, why don't we go down the rows and you can all ask me your questions and tell me your names?"

Logical enough, the idea was, and the questions and introductions began.

First was Jubilee.

"Hi, Lara, my name's Jubilation Lee, but everybody calls me Jubilee."

Lara nodded and Jubilee continued:

"Um, I was wondering... where have you been? People have known about mutants for a long time. We're all over the news! Congress has multiple sessions daily just to figure out what to do with us. Where could you possibly be all that time?"

"She means that with _no_ offense at all Ms. Croft. Jubilation Lee is known for her sharp tongue. Do forgive her."

Lara smiled at Xavier but waved the apology aside.

"Professor, I take no offense at all in what Jubilee has asked. It seems that I do owe her an explanation however."

The tomb raider took a breath and began:

"For years, I have been interested in archaeology. I have visited numerous cities and countries including: Rome, Venice, Egypt, Madagascar, Ireland, Scotland, Beijing, Thailand... I find myself in more foreign places than anyone could possibly imagine. I search for lost or forgotten artifacts that no one else has obtained. I love the thrill of being in dangerous territory, perilous situations, and above all, I love a good challenge. I have found many artifacts and hidden locations, but never in that time have I paid attention to mankind's petty arguments. I find them... rather dull..."

Lara trailed off and looked at Jubilee. The girl seemed to be way more than satisfied with her answer and her eyebrows were frozen in a graceful arch. Lara smiled at the teenager and asked for the next question.

Student after student voiced their names and the question that they most wanted to ask. As they went on, the questions became not just about Lady Croft, but about her adventures and what she had been through over the years.

How many people had she killed?

What was the most amazing experience she had ever had?

Were there really such things as cursed tombs?

What inspired her to be so adventurous?

Do you ever get scared?

How old are you?

The last question was asked by none other than John Allerdyce. Lara raised an eyebrow to that question and her lip twisted in a half-smile.

"I'm sorry... your name is?"

The mutant flicked open his lighter and flipped it closed again. The metal contact made a sharp _clink... clink_. His eyes burned in her direction and Lara felt that this mutant was the one that Ororo had warned her about.

"The name's John," he said coolly. "But you can call me Pyro."

Pyro licked his lips and then sat back in his chair. Lara felt a small flush come over her, but she composed the fleeting emotion and cocked her head at the young man in front of her. She figured that the Professors had given up on correcting the students. They most likely knew that this... Pyro would ask an irrelevant and personal question at that. Ororo told her that he was a very bold student.

"It's nice to meet you Pyro," Lara said politely. She watched as the boy's lips curled into a neat grin. Sensing his complete arrogance, Croft had to suppress a laugh.

"I don't believe that your question follows suit, but I didn't say that you had limitations on what you could ask. I'm twenty-five."

Whispers began to form themselves all over the dining hall; John just sat back in his chair and fingered his lighter. He loved when something he did caused a commotion or at least whispers. Twenty-five was a nice age. And he knew that he could show this Lara Croft one hell of a time...


	7. Presentation of Power

*A/N: My internet is finally up and ready to do my bidding! So, here is the next installment... I hope that you all like it! There is plenty more action to come! (I'm afraid that we're still in a bit of an introduction-phase.) But I assure you that everything will be fine and I hope that you all will keep reading the story until the end! :) To everyone who thinks Rogue is being bitchy: I COMPLETELY AGREE! but that is why it makes for such an interesting piece. But remember, even though this is a Movie-Verse fic, I can't ignore her comic book roots and I must add in her attitude from them! She just wouldn't be Rogue if she wasn't a bit dangerous... I mean, what other kind of girl would catch Gambit's eyes, EH? Haha! Well, happy trails!

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For the remainder of the night, Lara Croft stayed wide-awake and conversed with the students of Xavier's Institute. She could not get enough of the children and she found them most fascinating in their own individual ways. They all filled into a comfortable room with some people littered about the floor, as they had no luck in acquiring a chair. Lara could not help but beam as the children asked her numerous questions about her adventures.

"I've always fancied archaeology. My father was an archaeologist and was always off to exotic places to discover new artifacts. He was rarely home, but when he was, I would drill him for information until he was exhausted. We would talk until the middle of the night and then he would send me off to bed in all of my complaints. And then there was the ordeal about my love for guns..."

Some students exchanged hesitant looks while others were excited and came closer to where the tomb raider sat.

"I had a keen interest in firearms when I was very young and was banned from that particular extra-curricular activity for seeming to be..." Lara thought for a split second and gave her audience a mischievous smile. "...too dangerous."

A short silence came over the crowded room as each student considered Lara's last statement. But before anyone else could speak, a gruff voice split the air.

"So what's your favorite gun?"

Lara turned her head toward the voice and found a tall man with dark hair leaning against the doorframe staring in her direction. She smiled at him as she recognized his face.

"Please, Mr. Logan, join us," Lara said, followed by the snickers from the entire room.

The Wolverine glared at the students and strode into the room. His dark eyes settled on the new guest and he extended his hand.

"Ms. Croft, we haven't properly met."

Smiling, Lara grasped his hand in a friendly introduction.

"Mr. Logan..."

Logan winced as she spoke. "Please, Lara, call me Logan. Even the students don't show me that kind of respect, and I'm not sure I need it." 

Sharing a smile for a moment, the two adults were interrupted as Pyro's haughty voice spoke:

"Lara, I believe that you were explaining your "gun obsession"... do you mind continuing?"

Tearing her eyes away from the rugged man in front of her, Lara addressed her audience once again:

"In school we had a firearms course and I signed up for it immediately. A short time after, I became infatuated with guns- all types- and the headmistress noted this. She became very on-edge and no longer wanted me to attend her school. I wasn't exactly praised for this at home... But in the end, I was merely banned from shooting- much to my dismay."

Lara glanced around the room for a moment and took in the posture of each student. Not one member of her audience was slouched in their chairs or twiddling his or her thumbs. They were all intent on listening to her; most of them were leaned forward in their chairs, ready to hear more. But Lara could spend weeks telling them about everything she had been through... she wanted to know about _them._

"That's enough about me. I feel I'm being rather cheated. Please, I want to know about all of you."

Each student looked around a tad nervously at his or her comrades. This new guest had the trust of Xavier and the rest of the adults at the manor, and she had just spent a decent amount of time being nice to them and answering their questions. Was it now time to unveil their powers to her?

But before anyone could discuss anything, John Allerdyce raised himself from his seat and let his lips curl into a smile. He bowed to Lara while simultaneously producing his trademark lighter from his pocket.

"I," Pyro began, "have the power to manipulate and control fire. Observe."

And in the blink of an eye, a flame shot from his lighter and sailed toward Lara. The tomb raider remained in her seat, but was all too aware of the scorching heat that threatened to burn her tender flesh. Right as she was about to speak, the ball of fire ceased to be and Lara was left in awe. Now tiny orbs of fire circled her, flirting with her skin, giving her tiny sensations of their mysterious heat.

"This," Lara breathed, "is amazing."

Smirking, Pyro snapped his fingers and let the flames slowly melt as if they were wholly composed of liquid. Croft, again, was left in a trance of admiration.

"I have never seen anything like this," she said. Then more excitedly, "Come on then everyone! Show me what you can do!"

And without further instruction, each student stood before her and showcased their marvelous talents. All, that is, but the girl that lingered in a corner away from everyone else.

Rogue watched the disgusting scene with her arms crossed and a sneer upon her lips.

_If this woman wants to see our powers,_ Rogue thought dangerously, _let her see mine._

Then striding forward, Rogue pushed Sean Cassidy (who was _very_ carefully demonstrating his mutation to Lara) aside and firmly planted herself in front of the tomb raider.

For a moment, Lara stared at this new person in front of her. Who was this girl? She hadn't introduced herself to Lara before... Something about her made Lara very uncomfortable. She got the impression that this girl did not like Lara at all. But bringing back her aristocratic side, Lara politely spoke to the teenager.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Lara Croft; and you are?"

Rogue purposely sneered at the newcomer. "I know who you are," she spat. Then leaning closer, she removed her left glove and placed a single finger on Lara's right temple.

"My name's Rogue," the mutant said, "and my power is taking people's life force."

Suddenly, the pain came and Lara felt it in excruciating waves. Never before had she been subjected to so much agony. When would it end? It seemed that the single finger upon her temple burned right through to her skull and she could not break free of the mutant's wrath. Lara's head was beginning to spin and she felt her consciousness slipping away from her.

"Rogue! What do you think you're doing!" Logan bellowed and roughly pushed the girl aside.

Immediately Lara began to feel the life rush back into her; the feeling of abandonment and loss drained from her face and the color returned to her body. Gasping for breath, Lara grabbed hold of Logan's hand.

"What... what was that?" She managed to whisper.

Wolverine snarled at the girl a few feet away who was now donning her other glove. Never had he thought that Marie would do something like that... _ever._

"Her name is Marie, but everyone calls her Rogue. It seems that she's not taken a liking to you as everyone else has..."

Lara managed to give a short laugh. Her lungs and heart were now moving and beating regularly.

"Yes, it seems so. But why?"

Logan furrowed his brow. "That, I'm afraid, we'll have to ask her about. I've never seen her act like that before. I'll see if I can get her to talk; Bobby! Keep Ms. Croft company while I talk to Rogue."

"Okay, Logan," Bobby said shortly, then turning to Lara, "So, I see you've met Rogue."

Lara frowned. "What's wrong with her? I don't mean to sound rude, but she attacked me!"

Bobby shook his head. "She's been acting weird ever since you got here. It might be partially my fault... see I..." He sighed, "I'm her boyfriend, or almost was, rather. She got mad at me when I turned her down for dinner the other night. I told her that I wanted to meet you and she stomped off. I didn't mean to sound bitter or rude or anything, but I think she took it that way."

Lara put a comforting hand on Iceman's shoulder. "It's hard keeping up with girls. And I'm guessing that Rogue just wants you all to herself; maybe you should leave me here and go talk to her. Besides," she nudged him in the side, "I'm going to be staying here for a while and there's plenty of time for us to talk."

Hopeful eyes leapt from the floor as Bobby looked at Lara.

"Are... are you sure? Logan told me to stay with you, and I don't wanna be the one that disobeys the Wolverine..."

Lara wagged her finger at the teenager. "Don't worry about Logan; I'll take care of him. Now you go get your girl."

She winked at him and Bobby hurriedly ran out of the room. Sighing shortly, Lara barely had enough time to move her eyes from the door when Pyro plopped on the chair next to her.

"So," he said, "what else of mine do you wanna see?"


	8. Life in a Box

The sun crept slowly over the Xavier Mansion, spreading its warmth over the dew-covered grounds and temporarily ridding the earth of night-fallen shadow. As the soft rays touched each brick, the manor seemed to glow with radiant light. The surrounding foliage shook away the night and embraced the glory of the sun; New York was completely enveloped in the comfortable atmosphere of the early morning.

Every mutant and person alike slept soundly in their beds and awaited the time for his or her body to arise and face the day. However, there was one person who did not stay confined in the satin-like comfort of her bed, but greeted a mail truck with some of her most _precious_ belongings...

"Lady Lara Croft?" The man asked carefully.

Lara nodded and accepted the clipboard he offered her. Quickly signing her name, she handed back the papers and waited for the man to hand over her beloved package.

Giving her signature a cursory glance, the deliverer tucked the clipboard underneath his arm and walked back toward his truck. Flinging open the back doors, he swung out a dolly and prepared to slide Lara's box onto it.

Raising an eyebrow, Croft approached the man.

"I've got it from here, thank you," she said politely.

Then gesturing for the man to step back, Lara grabbed the large crate and lifted it up with ease. The deliveryman's mouth stood agape.

"So, are you going to open the door for me, or am I to stand here and look foolish?"

Shaking his head quickly, the man composed himself.

"I'm sorry Miss Croft. Would you like me to carry the box? It looks rather heavy..."

"You know, I've heard that things get _heavier_ when you hold them for too long. So if you don't mind..." Lara gave the deliverer a sharp look and he quickly turned around toward the manor.

"Lara, you need some help?" A gruff voice asked.

Hardly containing herself from rolling her eyes, Lara snapped:

"I would like to get my bloody crate inside of the mansion without any further hindrance!" Taking a deep breath, she added in a condescending tone, "If that is all right with you, _gentlemen_."

Blatantly nervous, the deliveryman's eyes became wide and he scurried off toward his car.

"I see you've got all the assistance you need, Miss Croft. Uh... have a nice day!" And he sped away in his truck, forgetting to close the back doors.

Lara, most agitated, now directed her gaze toward the much larger man that stood before her. His dark brown hair looked as if it had a mind of its own, with the wild look of it. But somehow, it was rather appealing...

"So, I've heard that things get heavier when you hold them for too long," Logan said with a grin. "Why don't we get that thing inside, hm?"

Sighing, Lara exhaled slowly and fixed Logan with a steely glare. But she couldn't hold anything against him. Besides, he was offering to help her.

In a matter of moments, the two lugged the large crate up the stairs and into Lara's room.

"Well, I think I could guess what's in here," Logan said dryly. But Lara caught the slightest tone of interest in his voice. Then, taking a hammer that she had borrowed from Scott for just this purpose, the tomb raider gripped the handle tightly and thrust it down upon the top of the wooden box.

Smirking at the look upon Logan's face, Lara smashed the top of the crate again, making a decent sized hole. Slipping the forked end of the hammer into the opening she had just made, Lara pried apart the lid and threw it aside.

"I guess that's one way to do it..." Logan snorted.

Like a kid at Christmas, Lara dove her hands into the box and threw aside the cushioning; inside were her pride and joys.

Logan whistled. "Damn. It's not everyday you see a woman so excited to see some guns. You show a firearm to any woman here and they'd run away in terror..."

Laughing softly, Lara picked up her Berettas and spun them in her hands as if by force of habit.

"I have no reason to fear firearms when they are in my hands. They save my life every day."

"Then let's be thankful for that," Logan breathed. 

Sensing a blush coming on, Lara hastily busied herself with checking the safety on her pistols. She flipped them upside down and immediately, her eyes became enraged.

"Where are my magazines!" She yelled.

The next thing Logan knew, bubble wrap and plastic peanuts were being thrown everywhere. He stepped back cautiously and assessed the situation. Lara seemed to be an aristocratic woman with mild manners and distinguished air, but now the mutant saw her in a whole different light. He now saw her not only as another woman or a high-class snob, but a person who stood out in his mind. She was a mystery to him that he wanted to solve.

A relieved sigh escaped Lara's lips and broke Logan's thoughts.

"Found them, eh?" He said coolly, receiving a stern look from the female on the floor.

"These," Lara stated, holding up her Beretta magazines, "are my life."

"I can see that," Logan said amusedly. But before Lara could retort, there was a knock at her door.

Looking down at Lara who was now surrounded by plastic packing wrap, Logan told her that he would answer it. Turning the brass knob, he pulled open the door.

But no one was there.

Wolverine stuck his head out of the room and looked down the corridor. No sign of anyone. Suspiciously, he sniffed the air, but didn't catch a trace of any abnormal scent. Quietly, he shut the door.

"Who was it?" Lara inquired.

Logan just shrugged, "I don't know. No one was there." He peered inside the crate. "So what else do you have in there?"

A mischievous grin spread across the tomb raider's face. "I'm so glad you asked."

Rummaging for a second, she produced a single gun and handed it to Logan.

"This is a IMI Desert Eagle, .50AE caliber. Gorgeous gun... And this is..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Logan said. "A Desert Eagle? This is one powerful gun. Can you shoot it?" He gave her a careful yet challenging look. Lara raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I'm insulted that you think I can't handle something like this, Logan. Maybe one day, I'll show you _exactly _what I can do."

A smile suddenly crept onto Logan's face. "I await the day," he said silkily.

Tearing her eyes away from him, Lara cleared her throat and produced another gun from the crate.

"This is my 12 gauge shotgun. It's supposedly only for 'special purposes', but I..."

Another knock sounded.

Quickly, Wolverine thrust open the door to catch the prankster, but again, no one was there.

Then suddenly, before Logan could react, a figure appeared from nowhere and pounced on him, knocking him to the floor. Lara was ready with her pistols, but there was no need.

A hearty laugh erupted from the attacker as he disappeared into thin air and reappeared next to Lara.

"I'm sorry," the newcomer chuckled, "I could not resist!"

Lara also began to laugh, but received a hard look from Wolverine as he raised himself from the floor.

"Oh, come now, Logan! Vhere is your sense of fun?"

Logan merely grunted as Nightcrawler continued to laugh. When he composed himself, Kurt was finally able to tell them why he was there.

"Xavier vants us all in his office later. Something urgent has happened and he vants everyvone to come down after dinner."

Lara narrowed her eyes, "What exactly is the trouble, Kurt?"

Nightcrawler simply shook his head. "Zat, I am afraid, Miss Croft, I am not supposed to tell you. Ve do not vant you to get involved in our battles; it simply vill not do."

Hastily, Lara interjected. "I do not want to be set aside if something important is happening, _especially_ if it is a battle. I haven't known you all for long, but as I see it, since I am here, I'm apart of the family. I do not wish to stand by while you all are worried about something."

For a moment, Kurt was speechless. Logan stood and smirked.

_Something about her was definitely different, and he found it was utterly intriguing..._

The blue mutant sighed. "I suppose I could ask Professor X; I don't know if he vill have a problem vith zis, but ve shall see."

It was Wolverine's turn to speak:

"Kurt, is it the Brotherhood again?"

Nightcrawler found himself unable to answer Logan's question.

"I am not completely certain," he admitted. "All Xavier said is zat ve are all in danger."


	9. The Cerebral Approach

Directly after dinner, the adults of the Xavier Mansion filed into Professor X's office and took his or her seat. Some arrived earlier than others but did not mind the wait. In a matter of time, the collective X-Men were in attendance and ready to hear about the pressing news that Xavier was about to tell them.

As each unique person entered his office, Xavier took the time to notice each one. His knowing eyes hovered about each of his former students, and briefly, he remembered small occurrences with each one. Smiling to himself, Xavier heard the door softly click shut and he raised his eyes to greet his assembly.

"I'm glad to see you all here," his methodical voice sounded. "I'm afraid that we have a most troubling ordeal to handle and it will prove to be very dangerous."

Lara Croft, who had come along to join the meeting, nodded to herself.

_Danger was her high. Adrenaline flowed through her and gave her strength; danger was no problem at all._

Xavier directed his wheelchair to move from behind his desk to the front. Gathering a handful of manila folders, he stopped before them all and sighed.

"As you all have assumed, the Brotherhood of Mutants has inevitably come up with another scheme to inflict further discrepancy between the human and mutant races. They are using no machines, and as far as I know, no mind control to perform their new plans." Pausing for a moment, Xavier handed the thick stack of manila folders, containing the full mission statement, to Jean Grey. Taking one for herself, she passed the rest down the line.

The pile began to dwindle as it traversed across the room. The mutants now in possession of a folder included: Jean, Cyclops, Beast, Storm, and Nightcrawler. Lara thought that there was only one manila folder left when Kurt passed the diminished stack to Wolverine, but as Logan grabbed his folder, another one peeked out from behind.

"I thought that you might enjoy an adventure, Lady Croft. I wouldn't want your stay here to get too boring."

As Lara received her mission statement, she raised her head and smiled at the older man. He was right- being cooped up inside of a mansion was _not _what she wanted to do. If she wanted to partake of that particular activity- or lack there of- she could have stayed at home!

Suddenly, Scott's concealed eyes shot up.

"Professor! You don't mean for us to take Lara along? No offense, Lady Croft, but these are mutants we're dealing with, not ordinary thugs that you're used to; it will be dangerous."

Lara let her eyes settle on the floor for a moment as she bit her lip in a "you have no idea" fashion. Feeling no mental barricade from Xavier, Lara took her opportunity to enlighten the boy of what her life was truly composed of.

Setting her manila folder gently on the ground, Lara sat forward in her chair and focused her piercing eyes on the red pair of sunglasses that stared back at her.

"Have you ever seen what I've truly done, Mr. Summers- what _I_ have seen? I travel to places that only exist in your nightmares. Sounds echo through the night that would haunt the dismal chambers of your memory for years to come. Rain lashes down and mixes with the muddy earth of the jungle; and that is when everything comes out. The moist ground and the very scent of your perspiring body attracts the most foul creatures you could ever imagine. Creatures that await to pluck you from your feet and suck your fluids from your being until you lose consciousness and finally die.

"Without fear, they attack from whichever angle they think will be most effective; the only fear is from the human who is fearful. Say you make it out of the quicksand and kill each inhuman assailant that tries to possess you. What then? Which way do you run when you hear the faint footsteps of an ancient race that is believed to have been extinct for centuries? When you enter the tomb of a sacred icon, a resting place of a once-powerful ruler, and you hear nothing- absolutely nothing, do you run straight ahead and hope to come out on the other side alive?

"Anything could happen when you turn a corner; a single step could be your last. The unfamiliar territory could claim you at any moment and all that you can do is regret that you never had the chance to think anything through. All you can do is wait for your untimely end, your demise that has so blatantly set itself before you. It calls to you in the night as boulders crash down from the ceilings and spitting arrows fly directly for you and strike inches beside your exposed skin.

"When you have no extraordinary powers, Mr. Summers, you have an entirely different definition of _'dangerous'_. A single bullet could save your life."

As Lara finished, Scott became very uncomfortable. He couldn't think of anything to say and his tongue felt heavy and useless. As he fumbled for intelligible words, everyone around him tried to hide their laughter. Jean, most of all tried to contain herself; the soft corners of her lips twitched up and down very fast as she unsuccessfully attempted to cover a smile.

It a matter of moments, everyone in Xavier's office exploded with laughter. Even Lara smirked, but everything she had said was true. Although, she _could_ see why it was funny that Scott had nothing to say. He was the type that always had a smart comment to come back with; but now he was defeated and everyone used it.

"Okay, okay!" Cyclops yelled to quiet down the laughter. "Lady Croft..."

"Lara."

"Yes, Lara... I'm sorry. Okay? I've said it; you can come along!"

"Like it was your choice anyway," Beast whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. But soon, everyone realized that the mission was still in effect and they must know as much as possible.

Xavier cleared his throat and began to speak:

"In your mission statements, you will find seven pictures. These photos are not of people from the common population, but respected leaders of the government. Through specific resources, I have found that the Brotherhood plans to capture all of these officials and somehow... alter their minds..."

Storm looked up from her folder and narrowed her eyes. Her soft voice spoke:

"Professor, how is this possible? Without being on permanent mind-control, no one can simply be denied free will at all times! No one is that powerful; not even you Professor..."

Xavier nodded at Ororo's statement but raised his hand in a move to contradict.

"I agree with you, Storm; there are no mutants powerful enough to completely change a person's mind for more than the time that the mutant is connected with them. That is why I am wondering about how the Brotherhood plans to fulfill their objective."

"Zey must be using a machine," Nightcrawler interrupted. "It's ze only vay!" Then smashing his fist into the palm of his hand, "Bang! Total possession of v'one's free vill!"

Everyone in the room smiled but Xavier frowned in deep thought.

"I don't know, Kurt. It may be as you say, but I don't think Magneto is capable of creating such a machine. He would need something extraordinarily powerful."

"Hell," Logan snorted, "it would have to be damn omnipotent to do something like that."

A sharp British accent cut through the scattered laughter as Lara's mind sought an answer.

"No," she said simply. "It's not that inconceivable, Logan. In fact, it would be relatively easy."

Every mutant in the room focused on the tomb raider as she stood up and peered out a window. Only Xavier and Jean knew exactly what she was thinking.

"You're brilliant," Jean breathed. Scott turned to her but the redhead rose from her seat and crossed the room to join Lara. Both of the females exchanged a knowing look and nodded in agreement. It seemed so obvious that none of them thought of it.

"Kurt, do you remember when you, Jean, and I were walking on the grounds after my arrival?"

Kurt nodded carefully but still looked rather confused.

"And you both told me about the incident on Ellis Island, remember?" Suddenly Nightcrawler was crouched in his chair, in complete comprehension. Following suit, the other mutants nodded their head in agreement as the idea finally dawned on them.

"They're going to replicate the machine," Beast growled. But Storm shook her head.

"How could they build something so complex? It would need at least fifty telepaths connected to it to accumulate the amount of power we're talking about. And I think we all know how hard it is to capture even _one_ of those!"

Too immersed inside of his or her own ideas, no one felt the urge to laugh. This was no laughing matter. Lara racked inside of her brain and thought about everything she had ever learned, everything she had ever heard in her past experiences. Finally, it dawned on her.

"No," she said again. "It wouldn't need to be complex at all." Hurriedly, she walked toward Professor X and knelt before him. "Professor, what if it was like Cerebro? What if..."

"Hey!" Scott yelled. "How do you know about Cerebro?"

Lara smiled as if she was a child who had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Something Logan let slip," she said impishly.

Scott chose not to reply, but ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. Although his attention was not with Lara at the moment, she had full command of Xavier's.

"Professor, Cerebro enhances your powers! If one of the... the Brotherhood members had ever seen Cerebro, could they have duplicated it somehow or taken the basics that they needed to make one of their own?"

But Xavier lowered his head and closed his light blue eyes. When he opened them again, they were darker and full of sadness.

"They wouldn't need to enter Cerebro," he whispered, "because Magneto helped me build it."


	10. Acceptance of Many Kinds

Lara could not believe her ears. The enemy didn't even need to collect the information! It was with them all along.

"But why use the plans now, Professor?" Beast inquired smartly. "If Erik assisted you in its production, that means he had been in possession of the plans for some time."

Xavier nodded slightly, but rather than answer Beast, he simply closed his eyes and directed the information to them all through one streaming thought.

Feeling a slight tug on her arm, Lara turned to face Nightcrawler. He placed one finger on his mouth and directed her toward the door. She noticed that the rest of the assembly had broken up as well, so she didn't ask any questions until they were out of Xavier's office and into the main foyer.

"Kurt, if I might pose a question...?"

The blue mutant nodded briefly at the tomb raider and listened as she cleared her throat.

"If the Brotherhood have had the means, motivation, and opportunity to execute their plans, why now? Why not at some earlier state when the X-Men might have suffered some loss or weakness? What about right after Ellis Island? When everyone was weak, the Brotherhood could have unleashed their new plan. I just don't understand..."

But the mutant merely placed one finger on her lips to silence her. He stared into her eyes for a moment and watched in wordless amusement as she gazed directly into his. Without so much as a single blink, the tomb raider returned his stare and Kurt found himself smiling. It wasn't every day that he found someone that had the courage enough to look him square in the eyes. And he told her this.

In a state of shock, Lara gave her warmest smile to the shy mutant. Raising one hand to his cheek, she spoke to him softly:

"Any human, or mutant for that matter, would be sorely mistaken to find you repulsing, Mr. Wagner. I haven't known any of you for that long, but I know that you are the most dedicated and honest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You are a rarity in today's society; it's a pity that more people are not like you." 

As she finished speaking, Kurt took her hand in his and they continued to walk. 

"It vould be stretching it to say zat I vas apart of today's society, Lara. I am flattered by your compliments, but zere are not many people like me because zey are all afraid of vhat zey might become." Somberness overcame his entire expression but Lara squeezed his hand tightly in protest. 

"No, Kurt. It is true that people are afraid of mutants and may scorn you personally for your appearance, but those people shouldn't matter to you. Those people are what accumulate the common filth of our world. Once the human race learns to accept difference, more and more people will see what a wonderful _person_ you are." She ruffled his hair. "Despite the way you look." Then lowering her voice to a whisper she leaned toward his left ear: 

"Besides, I happen to think that you are a very handsome individual." 

Breaking out into thankful laughter, Nightcrawler pulled Lara into a friendly hug. 

"If I am a rarity, zen you do not exist," he said metaphorically and gave her hand a final squeeze. "Now if you'll excuse me..." 

Nodding her head at the blue mutant in front of her, Lara watched as his form quickly disappeared from sight. Smiling to herself, Lara turned around to head up the stairs when she came face to face with the girl who had attacked her. 

"Oh, hello, Rogue," Lara said politely. 

But the girl didn't move nor speak. She just stood there with an expression of loathing and contempt; it was evident that she did _not_ like Lara for some reason. 

Seeing that Rogue wasn't going to make an effort to begin a conversation, the tomb raider gladly started one. 

"I know that you have some underlying hatred toward me, Rogue," Lara stated simply. She watched as the mutant girl shrugged her shoulders slightly and expanded her sneer. But Lara wasn't about to give the girl the upper-hand. So she finished her sentence: 

"But I don't care. And if you want me to stay away from your friends, I'm afraid I won't be able to do that. You see, I'm taking a liking to this place and the people who live here, and no silly little girl is going to ruin any friendships that I might acquire during my visit." Then walking halfway up the stairs, Lara spun back around and focused on Rogue once more. 

"Oh, and if you try another stunt like the one you pulled the other night... I'll kill you." 

As Lara Croft turned back around and headed to her room, Rogue sunk back into the shadows. She thought about what the tomb raider had said but tried to brush it off. 

_She's bluffing!,_ The mutant thought forcefully. But something lingered in the back of her mind; maybe she wasn't _that bad_. Maybe if Rogue only spoke with her or apologized... 

"Hey, Kid," a gruff voice suddenly sounded next to her. 

"Logan! Logan, you nearly scared me half to death! What's up?" 

But she knew all too well what was up. Rogue knew that Logan had taken a special interest in their new guest and that she, Rogue, was meddling in things that she shouldn't. But, honestly, who really cared? Sighing internally, Rogue decided that she _did_ care about Logan. 

_But Lara is another story,_ she thought acidly. No more thoughts could she form, for the Wolverine spoke to her again: 

"So, you're pickin' on the Tomb Raider, are you?" 

Rogue didn't know what to say. She stuttered.

"I... I don't know what you're talkin' about." She knew that was a lie. He knew it was a lie. So what was the point? Logan was a built-in lie detector anyway! Hell, you couldn't lie to him about your grandmother's twenty-seven year old corgi's name without him knowing.

"Fine! Fine! You win; obviously I'm stuck with the rep of hating the new guest! And I suppose you're going to yell at me for using my powers on her? Or maybe it's just because I'm not throwing myself on her like Bobby and John are..."

And she had said too much.

"So this is what it's about, hm?" Logan questioned. "You're jealous of Lara because you're "almost-boyfriend" was interested in her?" He shook his head in disappointment.

"Logan, listen... it's not like that! See..."

"Just know this," he interrupted her. "If it weren't for her, Bobby wouldn't have come apologized to you the other night. He would have still been in with the rest of the students, drilling her for information or showing off his mutation. You remember that."

Then without another word, he headed outside.

Morning came and slowly melted into the afternoon. The sun rose high into the air, but with a little help from Storm, scattered clouds formed, allowing the students to wander outside without shading their eyes. Some time after two p.m., Xavier called the X-Men into his office.

"Using Cerebro, I've been able to identify the location of where the Officials will be taken. Apparently, Magneto felt that hiding them in New York would be quite obvious, so he has found a new location that will be a trifle harder to track and a bit more inconspicuous. Now, of course I wasn't able to directly connect with Erik, but his fellow Brotherhood members do not wear helmets and I could easily find what we needed."

Logan's head shot up. He smelled somethin' funny, but he hoped that he was wrong.

He growled, "What henchmen does he have now, Chuck? Tell me he's dead..."

Somewhat apprehensively, Xavier explained the situation to Wolverine.

"I'm sorry, Logan, but he is not dead. Nor is the mutant that you fought, Storm."

Lara turned her head toward Ororo for a moment and watched as the white-haired goddess grimaced with anger. Apparently, the X-Men were a little perturbed. Sensing the discomfort, Xavier continued:

"Lady Croft, I believe that you reside near London, yes?"

"That's correct, Professor," she replied, knowing exactly what he was going to ask next. "And everyone is welcome to stay until we find the government officials."

Quickly, Xavier thanked the tomb raider and ordered everyone to gather what he or she needed. The trip to England wouldn't take very long in the X-Jet, but they still had a decent ride ahead.

"So, are you gonna show me around when we get there?" Logan asked Lara as the group walked through the halls.

Croft smiled mischievously. "There wouldn't be enough time with the mission at hand, Logan. Maybe you could visit some other time; I'd be glad to "show you around" England. Mind you, you would have to be polite."

Logan feigned innocence.

"And I'm not polite?" He raised his eyebrows and caused Lara to laugh.

"We'll see," Lara said simply.

Ahead of them all, Jean and Scott walked toward the hangar. Laughter caught Scott's ear and he frowned in disapproval.

"Sounds like someone's having fun," he spat.

Jean smacked him hard on the shoulder.

"Scott! Listen to him. He's happier than we've seen him in a while. And you can't tell me that you're not ecstatic that he hasn't hit on me since she's been here." The telepath watched as her fiancée grinned.

"Yeah, you're right; besides, Lara's not that bad looking either..."

That earned him another smack. 

Soon, everyone boarded the jet and settled into their seats. Beast had chosen to stay with Professor X to assist with the school, so the team was down by one member. But just before take-off, there was a knock on the lower hatch. Quickly, Scott unlocked the door and watched as four familiar faces were revealed.

"Professor X said we could come."

Scott would have complained if it weren't for Jean sealing his mouth shut with her mutation. Hastily, the four teenagers boarded the X-Jet and they all were on their way to London.


	11. To London

The ride into London would take a couple of hours, so everyone on the X-Jet found their own ways of delaying boredom. It seemed to creep slowly upon them, like spiders traversing up their arms and down their legs, running along their spines. The teenagers felt most of the effects of boredom, for the four of them were pretty much silent unless someone spoke to them first.

Bobby, Rogue, John, and Kitty played different card games in the back or listened to his or her headphones. The X-Men took turns piloting, and the adults that were taking a break napped, read, or simply asked Lara questions about London.

"It's beautiful," Lara said, answering a question that Storm had asked. "I live away from the city though, on the outskirts of London; my property is very extensive and there are no neighbors for miles. I like it that way though- less to deal with and more privacy."

Jean was piloting the jet, but still voiced a inquiry to Lara who was behind her:

"Are you sure we'll all fit, Lara? Do you mind if we stay with you?"

Everyone was a bit shocked when the tomb raider began to laugh. She closed her eyes and slightly threw back her head in utter amusement. It felt good to laugh. So good in fact, Lara had to bite her lip to cease her laughter.

"Trust me, Dr. Grey, _everyone_ will fit," Lara said confidently to the telepath. Then adding to herself, '_Everyone from the entire school...'_

An hour went by and Logan raised himself from the co-pilot seat and moseyed into the back. He heard the laughter of John and Bobby as they chatted loudly; Kitty and Rogue were asleep, their arms draping over one another and Kitty's foot above her and on the wall. On the opposite side were Lara and Kurt, deep in discussion about something or another. Pausing for a moment, he swung into the seat next to Nightcrawler and listened to Lara as she spoke.

"...he was an archaeologist, my father. He taught me everything that I know; sadly, he was killed in Venice some time ago and his murderer had the nerve to associate with me, use every memory of my father against me. But he got what he deserved..."

"Vat vas zat?" Kurt dared to inquire, his eyebrows knitted in concern.

Lara's passionate eyes flickered with nostalgia for a moment, and then a certain abhorring glint covered all positive sentiment. Her soft face hardened as flashes from the past invaded her thoughts; her voice sounded, but the light British accent was thicker, more dangerous than they had ever heard.

"I killed him."

It was as if the entire jet were empty. No one spoke. The sounds that once bounced with light-heartedness from the walls, now ceased; everything was grave silent.

Lara swallowed and lowered her head in short embarrassment. John and Bobby had stopped speaking and now faced the three across from them. Jean, Scott, and Ororo had heard as well and looked on just as the teenagers did.

Logan narrowed his eyes. "What the hell do you think you're lookin' at?" He said acidly.

The five mutants abruptly turned their attentions elsewhere.

"Lara, listen, we've all killed people- not intentionally, but we have. What you did wasn't unforgivable. The son-of-a-bitch deserved what you gave him, and you don't need to think on it anymore. He killed your dad, so you killed him. And frankly, I don't think it makes you a bad person."

What happened next, wasn't what the Wolverine expected.

The tomb raider smirked and looked at him playfully.

"And _you_ haven't killed anyone _intentionally?_"

Nightcrawler burst into laughter and clapped Logan on the shoulder.

"She's got you down!" He yelled loudly. "She really knows who you are!"

Wolverine, however, felt like the comment wasn't so much as a joke, but a motion to change the subject. Naturally, he wasn't about to continue, but he _did_ want to. He had grown a certain fondness toward the archaeologist and he didn't like to see her so morose. Shaking his head, he inquired:

"Sorry, what'd you say?"

Again, Lara smirked. "I've seen the students' powers, and Kurt's," she gave the blue mutant an affectionate look, "but not the rest of the adults'. Would anyone mind showing me? I don't mean to intrude, but I'm still a bit fascinated; I don't want to pry."

Behind his ruby-quartz visor, Scott looked toward Jean. The telepath nodded and Scott and Ororo walked toward Lara. But before Cyclops could sit down to demonstrate his power, his entire body suddenly lifted from the ground; he was left hanging there, his arms crossed and a stern look upon his face.

"JEAN!"

Laughter could be heard from the cockpit as Jean Grey briefly looked at her flying fiancée.

"What, sweetheart? Don't like the view?"

By this time, Kitty and Rogue had woken up; apparently the scene was nothing new to them, so they simply smiled knowingly. However, Lara was amazed. She raised herself from her seat and walked around the levitated mutant.

"Magnificent," she breathed. "You all are truly gifted."

"Yes, thank you, Lara," Scott interrupted hastily. "Now, _Jean,_ GET ME DOWN!"

Pyro and Bobby were struggling with hysterical fits of laughter in the corner.

"Oh, puppet, let me down!" Pyro mocked. "You know I'm afraid of heights!" The teenager continued to feign sobs in between chuckles. Bobby was now laughing so hard that his face turned bright red.

When Cyclops was finally back on the ground, he rolled his eyes. Of course, no one could see that, but they all had a very nice idea of what he was doing.

"So," he said in exasperation, "I'm going to have to show you my power _very_ carefully. It's not exactly 'indoor friendly'."

The mutants around Lara (who were not convulsing with laughter) shared knowing looks and nodded their agreement.

"In fact," Scott continued slyly, "I think we could show Lara _two _mutations at the same time. What do you think... Logan?"

Suddenly, Bobby and John's giddiness died away and they were now intent on the group in front of them. They knew exactly what was implied, and if it happened, they didn't want to miss it.

Wolverine growled. "Do you honestly think I'm going to do that?" He demanded.

Cyclops shrugged. "Okay, fine. Bobby, you got a coke can or somethin'?"

Iceman dug into his bag, rather disappointedly. He had _wanted_ to see Scott fire a beam into Logan and have Logan heal right before their eyes. It would have been entertaining! But no... it was "too dangerous".

_'Damn,'_ Bobby thought. _'I'm starting to sound like 'Dyce...'_

"Pass it over, Iceman!"

Bobby quickly tossed the can over to Cyclops, who set it to the very back of the jet. Walking almost to the cockpit, Scott turned around and placed one hand on the right side of his visor.

"Stand back, everyone," he ordered.

Then before Lara could blink, a flashing red light emanated from Cyclops' eyes and sent the can flying backward. It bounced from the wall so harshly that it managed to fly forward and land at Scott's feet.

"And that," Cyclops said proudly, "is _my_ mutation."

Again, Lara could not believe her eyes. She couldn't even fathom what had just happened, though it _did_ happen- right before her very eyes! But then a thought came to her and suddenly, her face grew sympathetic.

"That's why you have the glasses, isn't it? Your power is... uncontrollable. But nevertheless, it is amazing what you can do; I'm rather speechless."

Scott thanked Lara quietly and sat down as Ororo took his place now.

"I alter weather patterns," she stated simply. "I control anything that has to deal with temperature, precipitation..."

"Tornados, hurricanes, monsoons, blizzards... Yeah, you don't wanna mess with Storm."

The adults of the jet glared in Pyro's direction. He feigned innocence and turned his head away, but when he looked back, Lara was smiling.

"Unfortunately, St. John is telling the truth. I happen to control those specific occurrences as well. If you'll come with me, Lady Croft, I will show you."

Croft followed Ororo toward the cockpit. Storm gestured her toward the co-pilot's seat; without hesitating, Lara sat down and became wide-eyed as Ororo's own eyes became an astonishing color- white. Then, mouth standing agape, Lara witnessed an awesome, amazingly beautiful sight. The clouds formed together and became dark and hauntingly rigid. Tiny droplets of rain began to splatter on the windshield as a marvelous flash of lightning appeared in the distance.

Then as if by magic, the storm rolled away and the clouds evaporated. A magnificent rainbow appeared before them, reflecting golden rays from the sun; Lara was simply and utterly entranced.


	12. Serenity Can Be Taught

"Lara, we're approaching your coordinates."

The tomb raider acknowledged Jean's statement and headed toward the cockpit. Even though they hadn't even touched the ground, Lara felt a wave of relief come over her. It felt so good to be home! She looked out of the windshield, and there, just as she had left it, was her beautiful home.

"There," Lara said, pointing to a large clearing. "The jet will fit."

Carefully, Jean prepared for landing and told everyone to remain seated. In a matter of minutes, the X-Men and Tomb Raider touched down and readied themselves to exit the aircraft. Ororo released the hatch and the passengers trudged down the steps.

"Lara, this is where you live?" Bobby's mouth stood agape. "This is like, three times to size of the Xavier Institute! How many people live here?"

"Three," Lara said nonchalantly. "Well, Bryce lives outside, much to my chagrin, but he's apart of the Croft Family, I suppose. Now, if everyone will follow me, we'll get you situated in your respectful rooms."

The X-Men followed Lara in a dreamlike stage; the fact that the house was so large was nothing to be in awe about, but the fact that Lara and two other people occupied it alone was amazing. And Lara had said that she would stay away from home for a few consecutive months sometimes before even returning! The group was forced to attention when they approached the main doorway.

"Lara! And back so soon? Ah, you have guests! Welcome to the Croft Manor everyone. My name is Hillary and I'm the butler-in-charge here; if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask."

Everyone smiled politely and stepped through the door.

"Now, if anyone has any coats or..."

"That will be all, Hillary. Thank you."

The butler smiled. "Of course Lara. I suppose introductions are negligible?"

The look of complete tranquility on the tomb raider's face suddenly disappeared. She assumed that her appearance had taken on a slight flush as embarrassment filled her.

"I beg your pardon, everyone; how impertinent of me. Hillary, collectively, these are the X-Men." She gestured to the mutants as they somewhat uncomfortably stood before Lara and her butler. Stepping toward one end of the line, she began to introduce everyone.

"This is Ororo Munroe, Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Kurt Wagner, and..."

"Just Logan," the Wolverine grunted. Lara couldn't help but smile at the rugged man as she continued on to the teenagers.

"This is Kitty Pryde, Bobby Drake, Ma..."

"Rogue," the brunette stated firmly. Lara nodded in quiet acceptance and gestured toward the last mutant.

"And this," she said somewhat accusingly, "is St. John Allerdyce." The mutant put on his most impish smile and continued to flick his lighter open and closed.

"Wonderful," Hillary said cheerily. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Now, if you'll follow me, I will gladly escort you to your rooms."

As the other X-Men followed Hillary up the stairs, Pyro stayed where he was. This butler looked way too cheerful. There had to be _something_ that John could do to make him break down... but what?

_Perhaps the Pyro could have some fun with him,_ He thought. But his wishes were crushed as Lara, who had stayed as well, whispered into his ear.

_"If you set anything on fire, you will most unequivocally regret it. Do I make myself clear?"_

Pyro ceased flicking his lighter open. He watched the tomb raider in amusement as she pulled away from his ear; his mind went nuts every time she was around him- not to mention when they came into contact... But he had to compose himself. He was the Pyro- cool, collected, and over-confident. He switched back into his seductive mode and copied her exact movements. Leaning toward her face, he just barely veered to her ear.

_"I won't do anything until you tell me to."_

Returning to his normal stance, he winked at her suggestively then hastily followed the rest of the X-Men as they traveled through the humongous house.

Approximately an hour after their arrival, Lara made her way through the manor to check up on her new friends. She hoped that they found their accommodations suitable. First was Storm's room. Knocking twice, Lara waited for the woman's soft voice to sound for the approval to enter the room.

"I just came to check up on you," Croft began. "Do you like your room?"

Ororo smiled warmly. "I absolutely love it. It is very nice of you to let us stay here while we are in London. Without you, I don't know _what_ we'd do."

The two women shared a mutual laugh and exchanged a friendly hug. Telling Ororo what time dinner would be at, Lara departed the bedroom and headed to the next. This was Jean and Scott's.

"Lara! Thank you so much for letting us stay here. It's really nice of you..."

"Yes, yes, I know. Ororo's already given me all that sap. Just as long as you're comfortable, I'm happy. Don't go telling me how wonderful I am for letting you stay here; what kind of person would I be if I _didn't_ let you?"

Jean considered for a moment and then pulled Lara into a hug. "I'm sure Scott would love to voice his thanks, but he's already hit the showers." She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Men can be so difficult sometimes."

Smiling, Lara informed Jean of dinner, and made her way back into the hallway. Hillary had offered Kitty and Rogue separate rooms since there were so many vacant, but the two teenagers had declined his offer and roomed together. Of course, Lara didn't mind; sometimes it was better to share a new experience with a friend.

Rapping softly on the teenagers' door, Lara waited for an answer. As she did, she couldn't help but feel some unresolved conflict within herself; the girl, Rogue, still hadn't taken a liking to Lara. But maybe that would change in time. Suddenly, the door opened.

"Hello, Rogue."

The girl nodded but said nothing.

"I just came to see if you and Kitty like your room."

"It's fine."

"Oh, good. Where's Kitty?"

"Went to look around about a half an hour ago, came back and told me that she'd found a whole bunch of really cool computers and some guy downstairs."

"Ah, that would be Bryce, my tech. He's a miracle worker; I couldn't get along without him. So I take it that Kitty fancies computers?"

"Yeah, Shadowcat's got a knack for stuff like that... Ah never figured out _why_."

"Well, sometimes things are more than what they seem."

Rogue looked into Lara's eyes and found herself swallowing hard. She felt like she should apologize but...

"Well, if that's all then, I'll see you at dinner. It will be at six."

Then without another word, Lara turned away and headed further down the hall.

Rogue still stood there, her eyebrows knitted tightly together. She was about to apologize, wasn't she? But then Lara walked away and didn't give Rogue a chance to. Would Rogue have said she was sorry? She sure felt like she was going to. The words seemed to stick to the roof of her mouth, refusing to slide onto her tongue. But sometimes words can get you into trouble; yet other times... they were the only things that could save you.

Feeling like she needed guidance, Rogue peered around her doorframe in the direction that Lara had gone. The tomb raider was just leaving Nightcrawler's room and walking toward Bobby and John's.

_She'll be there for a while,_ Rogue laughed to herself. _John's got such a hard-on for her..._

Stealthily, Rogue shut her door and crept down the corridor. Making sure no one was around, she quietly knocked on Kurt's door. In no time, the door swung open and the blue mutant stood before her.

"Lara... Oh, hello, Rogue! I vas not expecting you. Come in, come in."

Apprehensively, the teenager entered her fellow X-Men's room and sat down on the edge of his bed. She opened her mouth, but again, the words were forced down her throat; why couldn't she even talk to Kurt? It seemed like an eternity before Rogue could speak.

"Kurt, I need to ask your... your advice on something."

She directed her eyes toward the blue mutant as he carefully unpacked his bags.

"Go on," he said soothingly. She couldn't help but watch how methodical he was as he placed each item on a nearby table. Kurt was truly the most amazing person she had ever met; he was so patient, and Rogue herself, had no patience whatsoever.

"It's about Lady Croft. I think... Oh..." Rogue cursed herself under her breath and was unable to continue. From absolutely nowhere, she heard Kurt speak in his native tongue:

"Gott bewilligen mir die Klarheit um die Sachen anzunehmen, die ich nicht ändern kann... Mut, die Sachen zu ändern kann ich, Und Klugheit, zum des Unterschiedes zu kennen."

Rogue stared at him in bemusement.

"What the hell does that mean?" But she had spoken without thinking; to punish herself, she bit her tongue. But Nightcrawler only smiled at her.

"Actually, dear Rogue, it means just ze opposite."

Setting aside his possessions, Kurt made his way toward the teenager and sat beside her.

"It is a very useful prayer zat I find myself saying a lot. In your tongue, it vould be called ze 'Serenity Prayer'." Before Rogue could inquire as to how it went in English, Kurt had already started.

"God, grant me ze serenity to accept ze things I cannot change, courage to change ze things I can, and visdom to know ze dif'rence. You could learn a lesson or two from it. It proves to be very helpful in times of questioning."

Rogue pondered Nightcrawler's words.

"I've got courage enough to change _my_ problem," she said defiantly. But as Kurt gave her a saddened look, she doubled back and thought about the prayer more carefully.

"You're tellin' me Ah've gotta accept that Lara's in our lives now, huh? That I can't change it, so I shouldn't even try. I guess Ah never got the wisdom to figure anything out..."

"Now zere, Rogue, my friend, you are wrong. You are very intelligent, but a little too rebellious. In zis case, I vould say zat 'serenity' vill do." He placed on hand on her shoulder and stroked her hair with the other. "Don't vorry, ev'rything vill be fine. I'm sure zat Lady Croft vould _love_ to get to know you better. All you have to do is make ze first move."

Rogue sighed. "I guess that's what she's been waitin' for, huh? And I've been too blind to see it."

Nightcrawler chuckled. "Zat, Rogue, is ano'za prayer for ano'za time. Now, vat do you say ve go get some 'chow'?"

Rogue felt so happy that she'd come to see Kurt; he always seemed to help with her problems. Then nodding her approval of his question, the two mutants exited the bedroom and went in search of exactly where the dining room was hidden.


	13. Meet The Other Side

Six o'clock found its way to England and each guest at the Croft Manor sat themselves down and awaited their meal. Everyone was excited to be staying in such a remarkable home as Lara's and they were all on their best behavior. Some, more than others, needed to be kept in line, however.

"Dude, John, chill out. Don't do anything stupid at dinner."

"Bob, what am I gonna do? Feel Lara up underneath the table? Well, now that you mention it..."

"'Dyce!"

"Just kiddin', Iceman! I think it's _you_ who needs to do the chillin'. Listen, I'll be good; I swear."

Bobby Drake gave his friend a skeptical look, but believed him nonetheless. Besides, what could possibly go wrong that hadn't already?

"I can't thank you enough for allowing us to stay, Lara," Ororo said at dinner. "Your house is more than lovely. I don't quite understand why so few people live here though. Why not sell the mansion and buy something more suitable?"

The tomb raider smiled and raised her eyebrows.

"Well, Storm, it's not as easy as you might think. My father lived in this house; my mother lived in this house. There's some sentiment that lingers and I don't want to lose it; besides, I'd be worried to death about what someone might do in here. There's so many things to wreck or destroy..."

She gave a sharp glance to Pyro who accepted it with a sly wink. Letting her eyes rest for a moment on the teenager, Lara continued:

"Plus, I need someplace that I'm familiar with to store my artifacts that I find. There's hidden rooms that lie behind some of these walls that come in quite useful sometimes. The garage is full of limited edition cars, priceless wines... I need someplace to store my treasures. I think everyone does."

Ororo nodded and returned to her meal. Scott, however, perked up at the sound of "limited edition cars".

"Lara, you mentioned cars? Mind if I ask which models?"

A mischievous glint flashed across Croft's eyes. She knew that the mentioning of cars would catch Cyclops' attention. Personally, automobiles gave her quite a rush as well; it was amazing how you could have so much in common with someone who seemed so different.

"After dinner, I'd be more than happy to show you, Scott. Right now, let's just enjoy the meal, hmm?"

With a new spring in his step, Scott Summers ate heartily.

"You know, Lara, this food is excellent! I don't know when I've ever had this..."

"I'm sure Hillary will accept such a compliment; he makes all the food around here. If I go anywhere near the stove, there would be a huge fire in no time."

Everyone at the table laughed and began conversation amongst themselves. No one heard John add his two cents.

"I'd be happy to help you put that fire out, Lara."

She was the only one who heard it, so she needn't not be embarrassed too much. But something about this kid compelled her; why wouldn't he cut it out? She turned her attention toward Logan, who was now eating hungrily.

"Do you like your steak, Logan? By the way it's already half gone, I'd say yes."

Surprisingly, a laugh came from Rogue.

"Lara, this is _nothing_ you should see him devour hamburgers! Picks 'em up like their bite-size; I dunno where he puts it."

Silence sat down with them all as shock wound itself around everyone's vocal cords. A small smile crept up on Kurt's face; underneath the table, he gave Rogue a small pat on her knee. The girl, herself, was surprised as well.

_You know what? _She said to herself. _This isn't that hard! Why couldn't I do this before?_

_CRASH!_

Suddenly, everyone jumped from their seats and sharply turned their heads to the ceiling. Shards of glass fell from the roof and dark shapes began to jump through the now gaping hole. The X-Men were immediately alert and in fighting stance. From beneath her seat, Lara grabbed her Berettas with mind-blowing speed. She aimed for the first person she saw.

Before them were the Brotherhood, menacing in their dark clothing and equally dark expressions. Lara heard Logan growl as a large mutant with long, shaggy hair stepped forward, his appearance like a feline and his gleaming white fangs showing as he smiled. The black eyes of the opposing mutant glittered as they settled huskily upon Wolverine; apparently, these two had some score to settle. For what reason, Lara was at a loss. 

Next to the felinoid crouched another mutant... a green one. He had a slimy appearance and his hair was even flecked with the same green that occupied the pigment of his skin. His smile revealed small stubs for teeth due to larger gums; the grin he wore sent a shiver down Lara's spine. It contained so much mischief and malice that Lara could not tell his true emotion. 

The mutant that held most of the X-Men's attention, however, was a peculiar blue one. With her hand on her hip, she stared at them all with sparkling yellow eyes. Her stance was defiant, yet Lara recognized that the mutant's feet contained almost no weight, so if need be, she could move quickly. This woman, this blue mutant, knew how to fight. 

Before anyone said a word, Hillary walked back into the room. 

"Oh my goodness! Lara, are these friends of yours? Couldn't you ask them to use the door next time?" 

The green mutant's smile broadened. 

"We're 'ere to deal wit' the X-Men. We ain't friends of no rich snob." 

"Oi! Who you think you are, bustin' into our house?"

"Bryce, it's fine..."

"No, it's not. Do you know how many times we've had to replace that ceiling? I expect that you'll all be leavin' about now."

The angered tech stood in front of the rest of them, closest to the members of the Brotherhood. Lara noticed, however, that the amphibian-like mutant had a small twinkle in his eyes as he replied to Bryce's comment.

"And what's that gonna cost us, mate? Half an Oxford Scholar?"

"Hook 'ere, you queen: you'll be beggin' for Percy in a linnet."

"Too right you? You're tellin' pork pies; do us a favor 'n take an Arthur bliss while we take care of your Ronald Riches."

"Cheese 'n Rice, mate. I see no Ronald Riches 'cept the one you got there. This scrap'll be bright 'n breezy."

"You know what, heap of coke..."

While this conversation went on, the X-Men, Hillary, and the two other members of the Brotherhood stared on in confusion. Pyro, who was closest to Lara, leaned over and whispered into her ear:

"Lara, do you know what they're sayin'? I can't tell if they're making fun of each other or what..."

The tomb raider laughed and covered her mouth.

"It's a bit hard to explain, John. They're not saying anything nice, yet they're gaining respect from one another."

The teenager looked dumbstruck for a moment.

"Oh," he said. "Okay."

"...you'll be a brown bread Brighton Pier..."

"Bryce! Bryce, that is quite enough; the both of you quit insulting each other in my house."

In an instant, the two men stopped their arguing and looked at Lara with innocent faces.

"He started it," Bryce complained.

"Ay! I didn't start nothin', you iron hoof..."

"I said _enough_."

Reluctantly, Bryce fell back behind Lara, and the green mutant took his place between his comrades. Silence passed for a moment where the members of the Brotherhood simply stared and smiled, while the X-Men prepared to fight. Croft did _not_ want a row in_ her_ house; especially when she had guests! Calling upon her aristocratic side, she addressed the opposition.

"May I inquire you about your business in my home?" Her tone was light yet confident.

Raising her head, the blue mutant stepped forward, swaying her hips back and forth as she approached Lara. As she did so, the tomb raider sized up the opponent that would surely be hers; this blue mutant seemed to be the leader of the small group. Lara truly didn't want to find out why.

"We're here to stop your efforts to stop _us,_" the blue mutant said in a seductive voice. "And what do you say fellas?" She turned around to face her comrades.

Both of the males smiled dangerously.

"Exactly what I thought," she said, yellow eyes dancing. "Time to commence the mission."


	14. Confidence

The whole room sprang into action all at once. Kitty, Storm, and Rogue assumed ready stances simultaneously. Kitty's name was her attitude as her alert eyes picked out her prey. Storm immediately ran forward to protect Lara, as she knew that no mere human could withstand Mystique's martial arts skills. Rogue made a sharp movement and in no time, her white gloves flew to the floor. Her eyes glittered dangerously as she noticed that she was a target for Sabretooth.

"Come and get me, ya big pussy."

The first move Mystique made was to the ground. The blue mutant put one hand on the floor to sturdy herself as she brought her left leg into the air. It tried to make contact with the tomb raider's face, but to no avail. Mystique's blue heel was caught neatly by Lara's mere hand. Quickly, Lara spun the captive ankle and flipped her attacker away to the side. However, it wasn't so simple, as Mystique twisted in midair and expertly flipped farther from Croft.

The two women sized each other up, the mutant showing increasing interest in her target. Lara didn't dare move her eyes from the figure in front of her. She had experienced the mutant's lighting-fast movements and parried them. But Lara knew that if she wasn't able to block just one strike, it could be all over.

In the far corner of the room, Pyro, Iceman, and Kitty took on Toad. It seemed that numbers didn't matter to the Brotherhood, for Toad was agile and not easily caught off-guard.

Pyro flicked open his lighter and manipulated a flame into the air. Smirking at Toad who was crouching arrogantly in front of him, Pyro formed the tiny flame into an amphibious state; he knew that he now held the green mutant's attention... so he decided to play.

The tiny frog grew to the actual size of Toad and turned around. It faced its clone and a decipherable smile spread across its face, outlined in lines of orange fire. Jumping up and down spastically, the fire-figure performed a handstand and made a rude gesture to its counterpart. Toad was beginning to lose interest and focus more on how he was being made fun of. This was what Pyro was counting on.

In an instant, a second flame was produced, this time forming into a very different person. As the blaze was molded, the flames flickered dangerously, heating up the already hot atmosphere. This next form was in the shape of the fire manipulator himself. Pyro watched as Toad eyed the two elemental characters cautiously. The green mutant did not see Bobby and Kitty slowly head in separate directions.

Commanding the flames with miraculous ease, Pyro directed the amphibious figure and his own image toward each other. They faced off, sizing up their opponent. Five seconds went by and the emblazoned entities hardly moved. Pyro knew that he was losing Toad's interest, but he knew that everything would change. Finally, the copy of Pyro leapt onto Toad's counterpart and pinned him to the ground. This sudden movement made Toad's head sharply turn back to where the action was, leaving him completely unaware that Iceman and Shadowcat were about to pounce on him from behind.

In a matter of half-seconds, the two mutants attacked Toad from behind, copying the movements of Pyro's creations. They pinned their adversary to the ground and held him there; Iceman completely froze Toad's body, save for his head. This rendered the amphibian helpless. The three teenagers all high-fived in triumph.

Pyro arrogantly walked over to the green mutant's frozen body. Making sure that he was in a position where Toad could see, Pyro made his clone kick the fiery amphibian to the floor.

"That symbolic enough for ya, frog?" Pyro spat on him.

Then smiling darkly, he let Toad watch as a burning shoe smashed the clone-Toad into the ground.

In the opposite corner, Sabretooth was fighting Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Wolverine off. Unsurprisingly, he was losing, but he had the endurance to keep on defending himself. Nightcrawler's mutation allowed him to create the best "surprise attacks", mostly just for ticking off the large feline so Wolverine and Rogue could really do some damage. Claws unsheathed, Wolverine pounced on Sabretooth, only to be batted away before he could plunge his claws into his enemy's abdomen. Rogue desperately searched for areas where she could do the most damage.

"Kurt, Ah need your help."

Soon after, Nightcrawler disappeared and reappeared on top of Sabretooth's head. Latching on, he continually smacked the felinoid in the face with his long tail. Rogue simply waited for her opportunity.

And there it was.

As fast as she could react, Rogue raced into the gap in Sabretooth's arms and lunged toward his neck. Extending her arms to their fullest, she smacked one hand onto the male mutants throat and one to his right temple. The effect was immediate; Sabretooth tried to fight her off, but her focus was too strong, her will was much too strong. In moments, his large body thudded to the ground, unconscious.

Bobby was there to help with the ice-cast. Two mutants down, the worst one to go.

Logan sheathed his claws with a metallic _snikt!_; his attention now lied with the two women in the center of the room. Lara was fighting Mystique and she wasn't dead yet! Logan wanted to jump into the scuffle and help it along, but something told him to stay back. It was Jean; she had entered his mind and told him to back off. The only reason she hadn't interfered yet, was because Lara was doing a damn good job of defending herself and staying up on the offensive as well.

Storm had also tried to help, but she was met with the same reply. Lara wanted no one to fight her fights or her battles. Logan was turned on.

_Smack!_

A hard blow connected with the blue mutant's face. Lara stepped back and continued to bounce up and down, keeping her alertness and adrenaline up. She felt that this mutant... Mystique? was a very decent match. Lara only wished that Bryce could build something like _her_ for the tomb raider to practice with!

Suddenly, Lara was very intent on what was happening. Mystique was advancing and Lara sensed that she was about to jump. She sensed right; the red-haired mutant leaped off of the ground, unnaturally high and aimed to spiral kick right on top of Lara. Already anticipating this, Croft ducked and slid under her assailant. Catching the mutant off-guard, Lara sent a fierce kick upwards and made Mystique lose her graceful appearance in the air, causing her to fall to the ground in a clumsy mess.

Mystique made to spin around and continue fighting, but Lara was already there, punching her in the face. For the first time in a long time, Mystique felt like she had a worthy opponent- maybe... _too_ worthy.She grabbed one of Croft's wrists, attempting to slow the attacks on her blue face, but Lara merely countered this by shifting her wrist inside of Mystique's and grabbed the mutant's wrist instead. Without anything left to do, Mystique realized she had an opening and head-butted her attacker. This maneuver made Lara back away a bit, but she did not relent.

In a rage, Croft pinned the shape-shifter to the hard floor and straddled her, locking her blue arms to her sides. In response, Mystique lifted her legs upward and wrapped them around Lara's throat. To that, Lara simply grabbed Mystique's jugular. Evidently, this was a stalemate.

Every X-Men watched this battle in highest amusement. Especially _one_ mutant in particular...

"'Dyce, I know what you're thinking... and it's not cool."

St. John Allerdyce smirked mischievously and got an all-too familiar sparkle to his eyes. Bobby Drake saw this coming and smacked his friend across the head.

But John just kept on watching.

Three minutes flew by in nothing but heavy breathing. Both women on the floor glared into each other's eyes, refusing, silently, to let go. Lara held her head up in defiance; she didn't want her adversary to know that she was beginning to feel lightheaded. But the tomb raider knew for a _fact_, that Mystique was feeling the same exact way. She wasn't going to let go. She wasn't.

"Please! The both of you, stop! I beg you!" It was Storm's voice. "Stop this nonsense this instant. You're going to kill each other!"

"I won't let go until she let's go," Mystique spoke, her words covered with venom.

Storm sighed; she knew that was going to be the case.

"Jean, can you separate them?"

"No," Lara said sharply. "We started this and we'll finish it. If you're willing to let go, I will do so as well. Not before you, and not after you."

Mystique closed her eyes, as result of the headache that she undoubtedly had. Swallowing her pride momentarily, she nodded her head.

"On three then," Croft said. "One... Two...Three."

Both women flew apart from one another in a blinding rush. Mystique flipped from the floor and made to lunge toward Lara again, when she was instantly met with the barrel of a gun. The shape-shifter stopped in her tracks, still breathing hard.

"Cheater," she whispered with a hint of admiration in her voice.

Lara smiled. "Never said I played fair."

The pair just looked at each other for a few moments until Lara spoke again:

"Now, can I trust you to stay still if I lower this gun? Because if you move again, I'm afraid that I'll have to shoot you."

"I'm fast; what if you miss?"

Lara gave a silent snort. "I shoot to kill."

Smiling nervously, Mystique backed away with her hands raised. Her comrades had fallen and now she was to fight alone. She knew, internally, that the fight could have been over at any time if the telepath simply picked up Mystique and pinned her to a spike somewhere. They had been generous, so maybe the fighting was to stop... for the meantime.

The Tomb Raider lowered her gun and slid it back into her boot. Suddenly, she began to laugh. It wasn't the time nor place to do it, but she had to. To lessen the tension, to release steam, whatever! Now she felt better.

"So," Lara began cheerily, "is there something I can do for you, Mystique, that I am qualified to get you or do for you that doesn't involve the murder or devastation of any of my new friends?"

Snickers could be heard in the background from the teenagers and adults alike as they listened to Lara inexplicably change from warrior princess to casual business woman. Truly, they never knew if they could ever figure out everything about Lara.

Mystique sighed. "We just want the X-Men out of our way for once, that's all," she said. "They don't understand that what we're trying to do something good for _our_ world. The future is not humans, it is mutants. The Brotherhood is the world's savior, not the X-Men."

There was a malicious gleam in Mystique's golden eyes. Lara thought the shape shifter sounded so emotional when she was speaking, yet... how could she be so brainwashed to believe half of the things that she spoke? Croft shook the thoughts away.

"This is an issue that I cannot get involved in, I'm afraid," Lara said lightly. "But I will not tolerate the slaughter of innocent people. _That_ I will stop. And I'm also afraid that I will have to side with those who prevent it, not cause it. The X-Men are my choice for the future; I simply do not agree with you, Mystique."

The blue mutant hissed. "That is because you are a _human_. Any brain-dead homo sapiens would side with the group who is in favor of protecting human life. If the cards are not in your favor, you don't want them played. Is that right, Ms. Croft? I say that you're just as _weak_ and _pathetic_ as the rest of your kind. You will die like the others and I will enjoy every moment of it when the time comes..."

"Hey, back off, Blue."

Mystique sharply turned her head to the sound of a gruff voice. Surprisingly, it wasn't Logan's. Pyro stepped forward.

"You wanna pick on someone, you challenge _me_ to a fight. Don't go insulting people better than you." He flicked his lighter open and kept the flame lit.

Golden eyes introduced themselves to John's. She smiled and looked at Lara.

"Looks like you've got a boyfriend; I bet he'll miss you when you _die._"

"Alright, Mystique, that's enough." Logan joined Pyro. "You couldn't even fight Lara off, and you tell her that she's just a human? What does that make you?"

"Yeah," Iceman stepped forward. "What makes you any better?"

"Lara is better than you'll ever be." Kitty, Kurt, Jean, Scott, and Ororo agreed.

The X-Men now stood in a line, together, backing up their new friend. Mystique's eyes widened; how could a human have so much support from _mutants_? What made her different? But her eyes spotted a mutant that hadn't said anything at all- Rogue.

"It looks like there's someone that _isn't_ on your side, Lara." She threw her eyes toward Rogue.

The X-Men turned around and faced the lone girl standing behind them all. Kurt especially eyed his friend with increasing interest and worry. Marie simply stood for a moment, fighting with the emotions in her mind. In the end, she walked toward her comrades and stood next to Lara. She clapped a gloved hand on the tomb raider's shoulder.

"Ah'm as much behind Lara as any X-Men. An' ah plan to stay that way."

Furrowing her eyebrows in defeat, Mystique's yellow eyes lowered briefly. Her voice was thick with acid as she spoke:

"Then you _all_ will die."

Turning on her heel, she made to leave the mansion. When she reached the door, Jean called out from behind her.

"Hey, Mystique! You forgot your trash!"

Spinning around, the shape-shifter was just in time to see two figures rushing toward her at full speed. Unable to control her sudden scream, she watched as her two companions crashed into her. X-Men laughing, the three Brotherhood members tumbled outside and into the night.


	15. Down to Business

*A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay! I really am... I'm getting so bad at this! Well, I hope that all of you enjoy the chapter! I know I enjoyed writing it!

______________________________

"Lara, there's a call for you."

"Thank you, Hillary."

Lara Croft politely excused herself and walked away from her friends to answer the call. Picking up the receiver, she recognized the voice instantly.

"Good day to you, Lord Bradwell. Mhmm... I see. Thank you, Eric. You've been very helpful. No, I'm afraid that I'm busy tonight, but thank you. Mhmm... Goodbye."

"Not man enough to ask you out in person?"

"Bloody hell, Logan! You startled me."

"Sorry, Lady Croft. I didn't mean to."

The Wolverine stared into her eyes, unblinking, one arm poised on the wall behind her, causing his body to lean toward her. For a moment, nothing passed between them but their own breathing. Lara found herself unable to move as she gazed at the man before her, his hand pressing against the wall behind her. It was odd: every "aristocratic" man that Lara had encountered had more or less ended up in a position like this with her, and all had advanced on her for a kiss.

They were not successful.

But now Logan hovered above her, not aristocratic, not queen-and-country governed, in nothing but plain jeans and a t-shirt... and he merely looked at her, not advancing any further. It was a backhand for modern stereotypes.

"Logan," she breathed. But he smiled again, making her knees weak.

"Lara!" A voice came from outside of the kitchen. Suddenly, Hillary was in the doorway to the room.

"Lara, we... Oh..." The butler, as was his duty, forgot everything he saw and disregarded the uncomfortable situation that he had just stumbled upon. He quickly told Lara that she was being asked for in the lounge and he departed.

The tomb raider nodded her head hastily and gave Logan one last notice. He grinned and the two rejoined the X-Men to find an ecstatic Cyclops.

"We've been trying to come up with plans to stop the missing representatives from being captured," Scott said frantically, "but we don't even know where to get started! We're all foreign in England, Lara."

Croft nodded and replied: "On the phone was a contact of mine, a very reliable source..."

_Cause he wants some ass,_ Wolverine thought acidly.

"...He said that the U.S. officials are just fine and will be attending a banquet tonight with numerous other high-class snobs. Which, naturally and regretfully, I am supposed to be apart of. So, _I_ can attend the party, but that leaves all of you out in the cold."

Each X-Man considered this.

"Is it possible to bring a guest with you?" Storm inquired.

"Yes," Lara replied. "In fact, I would look rather out of place by myself. But no more than one escort is allowed. I'm afraid that these "high-class banquets" are irreversibly closely knit. If they don't know you, and have no reason to, they don't like you."

"Fine," Scott said after a moment. "This will be a perfect opportunity for us to gain information about the officials and what they've been doing recently. No doubt, they will converse with _you_, Lady Croft?"

A playful smirk spread across Lara's face. "I don't always have to threaten people to talk to me, Mr. Summers."

Behind the protection of his glasses, Scott eyed up Lara Croft.

_No, she wouldn't have any trouble getting a group of men to speak with her..._

"But that's strange," Jean commented, oblivious to her fiancé's eyes traveling up Lara. "The officials are going to be kidnapped, aren't they? Why hasn't it happened already? And will it happen tonight?"

"Zey could possibly be under mind control at ze banquet," offered Kurt, his tail swinging above him. "Or maybe it vas a misunderstanding?"

Storm and Jean exchanged glances. "It just doesn't make sense," the telepath stated, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. Cyclops put a comforting arm around her.

"That's why we're relying on Lara to find something out tonight. If we don't sniff somethin' out, we're gonna be put to sleep."

"Love the comparison," Lara said dryly. "I _will_ do all that I can."

"And we appreciate it, Lara," Ororo's soft voice sounded. But Lara waved off the compliment with a small gesture of her hand.

"It's nothing. We're all in this together, right?" Smiles spread across each of the mutants' lips.

"All right then," the tomb raider announced. "So who's coming with me to the banquet?"

Logan was about to speak up when Scott opened his mouth first.

"It can't be Logan or me, because I'll get questions about my glasses and Logan... well..."

"What about me, _Scooter_?" Wolverine said sharply. Not being careful in the least, Scott voiced his reasons without hesitating:

"You're too rash, too rugged, hot-tempered. This is a stuck-up party by the sound of it, and you don't fit the bill, Logan. I can't go either. Neither can Storm or Nightcrawler. We're just too conspicuous."

Silently, Wolverine cursed the freak to hell; but out of courtesy for the ladies, he kept it to himself.

"I get it," he said simply and sat back in his chair. Unfazed, Cyclops resumed:

"That leaves Jean," he said. But Croft interrupted him.

"It's not customary for females to accompany one another," she revealed. "If you're not escorted by a male it looks... well, it doesn't appeal to the older members who are still attached to the ideas of wealth and marriage over friendship."

Kurt sighed. "But ze only males left are ze children. Could ve send vone of zem?"

Before Scott could argue, Jean perked up. "Of course! That's what it's left to, and I believe that it will work. Lara's young; we can pass it off as a fiancé thing, couldn't we?"

Everyone besides Scott voiced their agreement. Storm stood up, her white hair falling about her shoulders.

"I'll ask Bobby if he'll do it."

An inkling rose in the back of Lara's mind. She turned around in her seat and caught sight of a teenager as he gazed curiously around the entryway, a good distance away from the meeting. Before Storm could exit the room, Croft reached out her hand and gently grabbed Ororo's forearm.

"No," the tomb raider said. "Not Bobby." Scott looked up at her, brows furrowed.

"Then who do you suggest we... _No_." His eyes shot up as he peered behind Lara. "You've got to be kidding me," he hissed.

"No," Lara answered sharply, "I'm actually quite serious."

Cyclops looked around the room, searching for someone to agree with him. No one. He sunk in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

"God help us," he whispered.

Storm got Lara's message and left the room, calling to the teenager that still stared upward at the broken glass ceiling. In no time at all, the two were back.

Pyro now stood in the doorway, his dark hair accenting his mischievous grin. His eyes rested on Lara as she stood and faced him.

"So, you up for dinner tonight?"

The boy thought that he had just died and gone to heaven. Ten minutes later he was in his room, lying on his bed, Bobby, drilling him with questions.

"The officials are gonna be there? This is _so cool_, 'Dyce! Where're you goin'?"

John shrugged nonchalantly. "Some rich banquet where the U.S. officials are gonna be." His friend stared at him in complete shock.

"Dude! You're not excited about this? You're finally being trusted with an important mission! That's one step closer to being an X-Man!" But the fire manipulator shook his head slowly and sighed.

"That doesn't matter to me," he said dreamily. "_Lara_ wants me to go. I'm pretending that we're _engaged_..." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, both hands beneath his head.

Iceman rolled his eyes. "Alright, Romeo; I get it. You'd rather flirt with someone you can't have than rank higher in the X-Men."

John just couldn't seem to shake away the thought of him and Lara, arms linked, heading inside a huge mansion full of people that were thinking that he and she were engaged.

"Life is sweet," he whispered. Bobby merely shook his head and left the room in search of Rogue.

_____

"So the input is here, while your basic auditory _out_put is here, next to the mic-jack."

Bryce, the obsessive tech, got a twinkle in his eye as he clapped Kitty Pryde on the shoulder.

"That's right, girl! You've got it. I take it that you're the genius out of the four?" He winked at her and she giggled.

"Well, we all have our specialties, but mine happens to center around electronics."

"Brilliant!" The tech cheered, causing Kitty to laugh again. She never thought that she'd meet such an interesting character as Bryce in her whole life.

Lara Croft let a grin form on her lips as she passed the Tech Room. Finally, Bryce had found someone to entertain that actually understood what he was talking about. Sadly, the girl was only sixteen years old. Didn't say much for Bryce's maturity. Shrugging off her thoughts, the tomb raider headed up the main stairway and onto the second floor; she made her way toward Bobby and John's room.

"Speak of the devil," she said as Iceman thudded in her direction. He smiled, exposing his pearly-whites.

"Hey, Lady Croft."

Lara halted abruptly and stuck her arm out before the teenager could pass. She stared at him straight in the eyes. He looked scared.

"Mr. Drake, do you suffer from memory loss?"

"N-no, ma'am," he stammered.

"Good," she replied simply. "Then this will be the last time that you'll need me to remind you to call me 'Lara'?" She watched the teen shift uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry... Lara... it's just that I'm not used to calling adults by their first names. Well, except for Logan."

This amused the tomb raider. "He commands no respect from you?" Bobby's eyes widened.

"No, ma'am! It's _because_ I respect him so much that I call him 'Logan'. He _tells_ me to. And if I've learned anything, it's not to cross the Wolverine."

Lara laughed heartily and clapped Bobby on the shoulder. "All right then. I give up. Call me whatever you like, Bobby!"

Iceman returned her smirk, though he thought that he failed to match the beauty. A thought sprung to his mind.

"Oh, Ms. Croft... Thank you, but please don't tell John what you just told me."

"What do you mean?"

"The part about being able to call you anything I want. It's just... well, you understand." Bobby shifted again, his shoes making a faint squeak on the marble floor.

"Yes, that's been an issue in my head," Lara began. "Can you tell me about this?"

Her stare seemed to intensify until it burned a hole through Bobby's skull, threatening to completely eradicate him. The pressure had been growing for a while, he'd noticed. He wanted to talk to Lara about John but... was it really his place?

"You're gonna have to talk to Pyro about that one, Lady Croft. I just don't feel like it's any of my business." The woman nodded slowly, eyeing the teenager with great respect.

"I admire that, Mr. Drake. And I thank you for your time, but I must go speak with John about the mission." Iceman agreed and both of them went their separate ways.

_Knock. Knock._

John's head jerked up as he heard two distinct raps on the door. He was fairly surprised that he had heard them even though they were so loud, because when he daydreamed, he was long gone.

"Who is it?" He called.

"It's Lara. Are you decent?"

Who needed daydreaming when his dream was behind the door?

_I'll take what's behind door number one, Bob, _he thought as he raced to a mirror and checked how he looked. He didn't have a shirt on, but he couldn't see one around. But he couldn't just leave Lara at the door!

"Uh, coming," he said before his mouth even knew that it was to speak. Quickly, he made his way to the door and composed himself before finally turning the knob. He was met with Lara's smirking face- a face that he could really get used to.

"Hey," he said coolly. But her gaze melted him. "I'm sorry I'm not really presentable. Uh, please... come in."

The tomb raider tried to hold back a laugh as the teenager scrambled to find a shirt. Finally, he snatched one out of his bag; she noticed that it was the same black button-down that he had been wearing earlier. He cleared his throat and sat down opposite her on his bed.

"I've come to talk about the banquet tonight. We need to make a few things _very, very_ clear."


	16. Preliminaries

*A/N: I'm not even going to say anything... You know it's been a long time since my last update. I'll just cower in the corner...

___________

  
"We need to make a few things _very, very_ clear. Got that?"

John nodded politely. "I'll do anything you ask me to," he replied, the usual haughty air about him gone. Lara picked up on this almost instantly. She narrowed her eyes for a moment and continued:

"You have to be on your best behavior. No mocking anyone, no rude language... no setting anything on fire." John smiled. She had emphasized the last one.

"These people are going to judge you based on the way you look. They will ask you questions, but let me do the talking. They think you're rich and that's all they care about. If you give them the slightest _inkling_ that you're poor, they will not address you again. Is that understood? Good. Now, we will be pretending that we're engaged, but that doesn't give you the go ahead for free feels, got it?"

Pyro exhaled loudly, trying to mask his displeasure. But something inside of him told him that it was going to be okay. Just being with Lara was enough. he didn't need to cop a feel. If Lara wanted him on his best behavior, then damn it, he would be a saint.

"John, are you listening? Please tell me that you heard what I said."

"Don't tell anyone how I got my money, don't lie; I can use my real name, and absolutely no letting a U.S. official out of the mansion without a tracking device on him."

Croft silently praised the teenager, shocked that he had appeared so zoned out when she was speaking to him, yet he had caught every word. Pyro licked his lips and lowered his eyes to the quilt that covered his bed. Absently, he picked at the wrinkles; he was too quiet, more quiet than Lara had ever witnessed.

"John, what's wrong?"

No answer.

"Look, if you're worried about tonight, you'll be fine. I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think you could do it." She tilted her head in hopes of making eye contact, but to no avail. Croft opened her mouth to speak when John's voice sounded first:

"It must be lonely where you are," he said quietly.

Lara furrowed her eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

"You're the only one who thinks I can do it. None of the X-Men wanted me to do this; I bet you anything that Bobby was their first choice. Not me. Not ever me. Because they don't think that I can mingle with the high class without screwin' up, that I can't fit in, that I'll totally disregard everything, every rule that I'm supposed to follow, that I won't be able to control myself around a beautiful woman..."

He cut off too late. Silence strangled his vocal cords and immediately, his head fell into his pale hands.

"Shit," he whispered. "God damn it."

In front of him, Lara sat, her eyes fixated on the teenager. Now she had heard what she wanted to hear. All of it came out, and now she had an opening. She scooted closer to him and placed a hand on his knee.

"John? It's okay; don't be upset. You don't think I haven't noticed that you like me?"

"No," he admitted. "I knew that I was extremely forward." His words reached Lara's ears, but just barely. They were rudely blockaded by the two hands that desperately hid his blushing face.

"It's just now I'm actually talking to you about it instead of hinting. And it's different. I think about how much I like you and... and how much I can't have you."

Lara felt a sharp pang in her chest. She liked this kid, she really did. But she wasn't attracted to him the way he was to her. Plus, she was almost eight years his senior. She hadn't chosen Bobby for this mission because deep down, Lara knew that Pyro had what it took. She had a gut instinct that John would execute this far better then anyone else. And her instincts were very seldom wrong.

She came closer to him and wrapped her arms around his body. He nervously exchanged the embrace, which Croft thought was very cute. As they embraced, Lara rubbed his back, causing his breathing to slow. John calmed down almost immediately; every part of his body loosened and he grasped Lara and pulled her closer.

"I won't fail you," he whispered into her ear. "I swear to you that you won't be disappointed."

The Tomb Raider smiled and pulled away from Pyro. Her left hand idly played with his dark hair.

"No matter what we find out," she said softly, "I won't be disappointed with you." Then kissing him lightly on the forehead, she rose from the bed and exited the room. A great weight had been lifted from John's shoulders. Sighing, he lied down and let his eyelids slowly sink downward.

Outside of John's door, Lara paused a moment and leaned backward against the wall. Maybe Pyro wasn't as bad as everyone thought...

"Hey, Lara." The tomb raider turned to see her tech walking toward her. She smiled.

"Bryce," she said, acknowledging his presence. He stood beside her, a worried look on his face.

"All right, Lara?"

She smirked. "You're sounding like Hillary, Bryce." The tech snorted and then a mock-fear spread across his face.

"The _horror!_" He cried, causing Lara to laugh out loud. From somewhere unseen, the butler's voice sounded:

"I _heard_ that, you two!" Instant shock overcame Bryce and his large grin disappeared.

"Bloody hell!" He swore. "Hillary's got superhuman hearing!" Then in a quieter voice, "You don't think he's a mutie, do you?"

"I heard that as well, Bryce!"

The disheveled man in front of Lara threw up his hands, mouth touching the floor. His eyes were wide and Lara couldn't help but laugh at how comical he was.

"It's nice to see you smile," Bryce then said seriously. "I want you to be careful tonight, 'kay?" The tomb raider ruffled his hair and sighed.

"_That_," she said pointedly, "is not up to me."

Somewhere in the manor a grandfather clock sounded the hour, its soft but deep chimes reverberating through every hall.

"Seven o'clock," Scott announced off-handedly. Jean shook her wrist to allow her to position her watch so she could read the hands.

"Doesn't the party start at seven?"

"It does no good to show up early," said Hillary as he walked into the room with tea and scones. "Besides, it was difficult enough to get Lara into a dress that wasn't black."

The group of X-Men chuckled. "For being so beautiful, Lara doesn't sit well with femininity, does she?"

Hillary sighed. "Unfortunately, Ms. Munroe, you'll find that Lady Croft is irrefutably unconventional."

Nightcrawler, who had immediately scarfed down three warm scones, spoke while still poking his tongue around his teeth for stray pieces.

"'ow exactly did you make Lara get into a dress in ze first place?" An impish grin appeared on the butler's face.

"Oh, I didn't _make_ her do anything," he chuckled. "I simply narrowed down her options." Confusion spread across the room. Bryce, who had been fiddling with a robot in a corner, piped up as the group's savior.

"He means that he took everything else out of 'er closet except what he wanted her to wear," he explained. "Sly devil..." A consensual laugh filled the room as Hillary went to fetch more scones.

___

"Stop fidgeting, 'Dyce!"

"Dude, I can't help it."

"Well, if you don't chill yourself out, I'll do it for you!"

Bobby's threat instantly shut John up. He was in no mood to be frozen solid. Iceman stood in front of John and fixed his friend's tie.

"Dude," he said as his fingers nimbly situated Pyro's necktie, "you're about to step into the fire. I'm not sayin' that you're gonna screw up, so don't pull that shit on me. In fact, it's the opposite. I think you'll do fine. There..." Bobby stepped away from his friend and observed him. The bow of black that he had just finished tying around Pyro's neck was what he stared at. A sudden look of panic spread across the fire manipulator's face.

"What?" He asked, his voice nearly frantic. "What's wrong?"

Bobby just kept staring, and then he smiled. "Nothing's wrong. That's why it's so weird. You... you look like a gentleman, like you've looked like this forever."

John's face contorted for a moment; his eyebrows furrowed quizzically. Turning around, he walked to his mirror and gaped at what he saw. The suit he wore was any stereotypical tuxedo yet... why did it fit so well on him? His dark hair was gelled back, allowing for anyone to see his face and his deep brown eyes. He was amazed at how natural he looked. Never before had he donned a suit. Every time he saw someone wearing one, an awful taste came to his mouth. But now there he was, wearing the black slacks, the dress shoes, the tie, everything. And why?

"'Cause you're infatuated, 'Dyce."

John, who had not known that he spoke allowed, turned from the mirror and faced his friend.

"I wish I could film tonight," he said absently.

Iceman frowned. "Why?"

A sudden Pyro-trademark smirk danced on the fire manipulator's lips. "Cause this is the first time in my life that I'm going to try _not_ to do the wrong thing."

Bobby shook his head as they both walked out of the room and down the main stairs.

___

"But as I was saying... oh my god."

Storm, Jean, Scott, Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, and Wolverine stared as the two teenagers made their way down the stairs. A mutual hush blanketed the main hall until Rogue couldn't take the silent gawking.

"Well doesn't someone look _sexy!_" She whistled her approval.

Many of the X-Men echoed Rogue's reaction, causing John's face to flush scarlet. Kitty and Nightcrawler "whooed" their approval making John smile broadly. His face was shamelessly embarrassed and he felt overjoyed by the attention. As soon as his last step ended from the stairs, the flood of mutants surrounded him.

"You look amazing, Pyro."

"Never thought you'd fit so well in a suit!"

"Very handsome."

"What a conversion!"

"Holy shit, kid."

"Thanks, Logan." A grin spread across the Wolverine's face and John mirrored it. Storm placed her hands on the teen's shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"You are the perfect image of a gentleman."

"Thank you, Storm."

John simply couldn't believe the amount of attention that he was receiving. What was it that drew everyone so near? Was it that now he had come within the X-Men's expectations and they no longer thought that he, John, would fail them? Or maybe, he decided, maybe it was just shocking to see a wild flame so willingly captured. For a moment, Pyro mingled with his companions.

That was until the stairway revealed the single most ravishing sight his eyes had ever had the privilege to gaze upon.

__________

*A/N: Hopefully everyone liked the chapter? Long enough? Don't worry, the party is up next. More action to come.


	17. Stunning

Mouth agape and eyes half blinded, John stared up as every other pair of eyes followed suit. Every piece of attention, Lara Croft now held with each hypnotic step.

"Nice to see you're all looking up," the tomb raider said with British humor. The X-Men silently applauded Hillary's choice of dress for Lara. The X-Women happened to notice this about the X-Men. However, Storm, Jean, Rogue, and Kitty couldn't help but admire the silky smooth dress that flowed and hugged in all the right places.

To Lara's chagrin, Hillary had narrowed her options drastically. By narrowing, she meant that when she exited the shower with merely a towel on, she went to her closet to find only that same dress, hanging up alone. The rest of her clothing, he had quickly confiscated while she was bathing. A sly trickster indeed. So Lara had but no choice; she had to don the dress, which happened to be one of Hillary's favorites for Lara.

He had picked out a midnight blue dress, the darker hue less prominent than that of the blue. It was strapless and sexy, yet sophisticated and not too revealing. Draped around her neck and about her arms was a matching sash with black print near the bottom. All of this, John gladly noted as Lara continued to make her way down the stairs. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander as she walked. Silk was then his new best friend.

He loved the way it clung to her hips and didn't let go until past her thighs; the strapless factor wasn't helping his ogling. Her tanned shoulders and defined collarbone stood out proudly and labeled her the primary heir of class.

Rogue envied the way everyone stared at Lara. She knew that it couldn't be helped though. Hell, she was staring, too! Rogue was happy to be over her fit of jealousy; she had Bobby and that was all that mattered. Speaking of Bobby... Rogue stole a glance at him and noticed that he was trying his hardest not to stare. Rogue laughed in spite of him and watched as Iceman's eyes darted in her direction.

"It's okay," she mouthed. Immediately, Bobby relaxed only to receive another chuckle from his girlfriend. He was barely able to begin a thought when Lara addressed the room.

"This is it, everyone. John and I will head to the party, and if all goes to plan, we should have every American representative bugged by the end of the night." She turned to John. "Are you ready?"

Reverting back to the old Pyro, he chuckled. "I was born ready."

Hillary at that time, opened the front door where a sleek black limo was waiting. Stealing a glance at Scott, Lara smiled at the nervous look on his face. The tomb raider really didn't know why everyone was so uptight. John would do just fine, magnificent, in fact. Assured that the X-Men were not assured, Lara and John climbed into the limousine and were taken to the party where the representatives were oblivious to their situation.

"Hello, Lord Norman! Good evening, Lady Bruchire!"

Black and white limos and town cars flooded the vast driveway in front of the mansion. A lone guard at the door took invitations, sappily greeting the higher-in-status as they walked into the party. Lara and John waited their turn to pull up. The mutant took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Relax," he heard Lara whisper as she wrapped the sash around her shoulders. "You're going to be fine, I promise."

Pyro opened his eyes and turned them to her. She smiled.

"Remember what I told you earlier, and you'll do fine. Leave the setup to me and you'll grab your loose ends, got it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Suddenly John's face was yanked hard and it took him a moment to realize that Lara's hand was attached to his jaw.

"I don't need you to think," she said darkly. "I need you to _know_. You are doing this, John. Don't doubt yourself for an instant."

Pyro noticed that her face was close to his, close enough to kiss. He licked his lips but merely took her hand and rubbed it warmly.

"I, uh... have something for you." Lara gave him a quizzical look, but it didn't take long for John to reveal his treasure. "I want you to hold onto it."

Lara felt the familiar touch of metal in her palm. Looking down, she saw Pyro's lighter in her hand.

"I've never let anyone hold it before. It's to promise you that I won't be setting anything on fire."

Lara felt her heart melt. He was entrusting her with his symbiotic life; this lighter was his most prized possession and he had given it to her to ensure her that he would do his best. The tomb raider admired the teenager greatly.

"So it's time to be a fiancé, is it?"

Lara looked from the lighter to him and grinned wickedly. "Think you're up to it?"

Pyro gave her a mischievous smirk and let his eyes fall quickly before raising them to stare her straight in the eye.

"I'm sure I can manage."

Lara raised an eyebrow and the car door opened abruptly. Taking a mutual inhalation, the two exited the car, arms interlocked.

"Ah! Lady Croft, a pleasure, it is! And who might this be?" The doorman raised his eyes at John.

"Lord Allerdyce is accompanying me tonight." The guard nodded hastily and then appeared confused.

"Ah, yes, well... we are always happy to accommodate your lordship." With that, the doorman took Lara's invitation and the two of them were allowed inside.

As the couple passed through the archway, John's eyes swept over the largest foyer he had ever seen. Glamorous dresses flashed from every angle, seeming to reflect light from the many glass chandeliers on the ceiling. Soft, classical music hummed in the background, coating the party in a peculiar comfort. Even the floor gleamed with radiance, its pearl colored surface shining like calm water at sunset.

"The ballroom is straight back," Lara spoke, while another doorman took her sash. "The smoking room is to the right. See that glass room there? More than likely, each representative will be there at one point in time or another, if not all at the same time. I'm sure they won't dally too far apart tonight. I have the devices with me..."

"Where?" John asked, surprised.

"Does it matter?" Lara snapped. John grinned and lowered his head in apology.

"Anyway, I will find the most opportune time to place them. In the mean time, I want you to buddy-buddy with the officials. Since you're American, they will find the change of accent quite refreshing. Speak with them only about what they bring up; if the conversation is failing, ask a question. It couldn't hurt. Now..."

"Oh, Lara! Lara Croft, my dear, how _are_ you?" Horror struck the tomb raider's face instantly.

"Oh, God," she almost whined.

John looked around and noticed a particularly plump woman sitting at a table, waving in their direction.

"What's the deal with the old lady?" He inquired. Lara sighed but grabbed his hand and led him to woman without a word.

"Lara, Lara, Lara! It is so _good_ to see you again! Come and give me a kiss, darling! Oh, my. Who is this?" She said, indicating John. He straightened and bowed to the older woman in his most dignified fashion; she offered him her hand and he took it and kissed it lightly.

"St. John Allerdyce, Madame," he said.

Lara smiled. "John, this is Maxine Rosemary DePrivat, Lady of DePrivat Chateau and Winery."

"Oh, but everyone calls me Mimsy!" The older woman chuckled, sending the pearls around her neck into a shaking frenzy.

"Well," John grinned, "it certainly is easier on the tongue." This sent Mimsy into another fit of laughter.

"Oh, my, Lara. Wherever did you find him? Such a sweet boy... and so very handsome! You're American, yes? Oh, well that doesn't matter. Any man good enough for Lara is a rare treasure in my eyes. I suppose that you're not only here on a date, Lady Croft?"

"No, John and I are engaged, Mimsy."

Nothing seemed to keep the plump woman from laughing. John almost winced as she began to squeal with delight at the news. Her white-blonde hair bounced as she laughed, as well as the rest of her body, sending her pearls into more spasms.

"Well, I don't want to keep the two of you. But please do come back to chat at some point! These parties are always terribly dreadful..."

"Yes, Mimsy, we will. Come, John."

The pair walked away from Madame DePrivat, but John could sense that Lara still held her uptight composure. John asked her what was wrong.

"She will be watching you _all_ night now," she sighed. "You cannot, for any reason, slip out of character. As you have heard, Mimsy has the greatest mouth in all of Europe. If she were to find out the _real_ situation, everything would be ruined. Now," she said, shocking John with her change of tone, "come dance with me."

Lara and John walked to ballroom, not separated from the foyer at all. Mimsy would certainly be watching them dance; it made John feel slightly uncomfortable.

"This is a show for Mimsy," Lara whispered into his ear. "I hope you know how to dance."

"Don't worry about anything," John whispered back. "You worry too much." With that, he placed her hand in his and wrapped his arm around her waist. Lara was amazed at how graceful he appeared to be, how much of a gentleman he was as he danced with her on the floor. The slow music invaded Lara's mind and let her eyelashes drift downward; as they continued to dance, she moved closer to John and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Are you finally calming down?" He asked.

"Never," she chuckled softly. John couldn't help but smirk at the woman in his arms. However, he could still feel Mimsy's gaze like a vulture, waiting for its prey to succumb to the heat of some terrible desert.

"You're doing amazingly," Lara breathed into John's neck. It took everything in him not to swoop her down in his arms and kiss her madly. But he remained composed and gentlemanly.

"Thank you."

"Now we need to continue with what we came here to do," she said suddenly, as if she had never wanted to dance with him. "Go over to the representatives' table and start chatting. Don't lose your formality, but don't act like you did around Mimsy. Be American, but polite. Got it?"

John nodded and gave Lara a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Mimsy's still watching," he replied with a grin.

Croft watched as he made his way toward the officials. She turned toward Mimsy and privately smiled as she saw the old woman not turned toward the dance floor at all.


	18. Bugged

A/N: Wow, long time, huh? I'm so sorry that I left you all hanging! It wasn't my intention… really. As always, I've been busy with school, and on Thursday I got hit by an SUV. Fun, right? Well, the good news is that I'm okay, but my brand new car is totaled. Anyway, hopefully people will still read this, 'cause I'm itchin' to finish it! Enjoy!

-----------------

"Gentlemen, glad to see you here!"

The American officials turned around or raised their eyes to the unfamiliar addresser. With a cool air about him, created by his slick chocolate hair and sophisticated stance, John greeted the U.S. representatives as they sat at their table which was unofficially designated to Americans.

"Who might you be, young lad?" An elderly gentleman inquired as he placed his chardonnay on the polished mahogany table. John threw him a winning smile.

"Just a poor American boy looking to hear from people who speak normally."

A few of the officials chuckled in complete understanding. Listening to the predominant English accent day in and day out became so disheartening-- as if America had dissolved before their eyes into unfamiliar European tradition-- that it was refreshing to find a stranger who spoke exactly like them. Sensing that he had appealed to the group of men, John made his planned leave.

"I see that I have disturbed you, my apologies." The teenager bowed his head slightly and began to turn around when he heard a voice call him back.

"Nonsense, young man!" One of the younger officials remarked. "We would enjoy your company. Come! Take a seat."

Grinning to himself, John obeyed and sat in a vacant seat amongst the representatives. He took careful note that each of them was drinking, no man's glass ever staying even half empty for long. A fat, maple cigar, each with an apple-red stamp embellishing the middle section, was laid before every man. Obviously, the representatives had no intentions of traversing the twenty-some-odd feet to enjoy their cigars in the smoking room.

"So, young man, what's your name, and what brings you to England?"

"I'm St. John Allerdyce, sir. I'm here with my fiancé to attend this nice party and cater to some friends back at our home in Surrey." The officials nodded, but John knew that he had to get them talking. "What about all of you? I don't think it's coincidence that seven respectful men such as yourselves are here in England at the same time."

The same man that had askedJohn his name earlier chuckled. "You're quite right, Mr. Allerdyce…"

"Please, just John."

"John," repeated the official. "My name is Gregory Stephens. The whole lot of us here are government officials back home; we're here to mingle with the power-holders of Europe…" he grumbled slightly. "You know, keep our allies on our good side."

John, who had been intently listening, nodded his head in emphatic agreement.

"Absolutely!" He concurred. Then, with a sly grin: "So, you guys are _really_ the ones who keep our foreign affairs in order. I see, I see…"

A representative who had been silent until then spoke up:

"This boy's got the right idea! Maybe we should bring him back with us… let _him_ tell the chief what's what. With all that's been happening lately, we need all the help we can get, eh, gentlemen?"

Turning his head toward each response, John watched as the seven men agreed with the spoken statement. Curious, the mutant pressed the issue.

"I'm sorry, sir… your name is?"

"Robert Heins, but call me Bob."

"Bob, you mentioned that something bad has been happening lately—in the States, you mean?" A few careful glances shot over gold-rimmed wine glasses at Bob. Evidently, John had found a sensitive subject—or at least, the leverage he needed to gain the representatives' trust.

With a heavy sigh, Bob raised his posterior from his chair a bit and situated his jacket. Guided by habit, he pushed his glasses farther up his long nose.

"Surely you've heard of the mutant situation, Mr. Allerdyce. The United States Government is doing all that it can to prevent panic from spreading into the public, but only so much can be done. Now, this is a debatable comment, but I feel that it is not the existence of mutants that humans need to fear, but humanprejudice. Of course, as a U.S. official, I cannot say that on the record… you understand."

"There is not much that we can divulge to you, Mr. Allerdyce," another official interrupted, "as we presume that you are not affiliated with the government? No, we didn't think so; even our opinions must be relayed with the utmost deliberation." At this, the new speaker glared a warning at Bob. Immediately, the latter busied himself with his chardonnay.

Sensing that he was losing ground, John quickly tried to recover it.

"No offense taken at all, sir. I assure you that I did not mean to pry; however, mutants are the topic these days. Not just in the States, I assume?"

Gregory shook his head, the creases that adorned his aged forehead deepening. "Tough times for the world," he reflected. "What affects one place affects another."

John couldn't resist the urge to smirk. What a clever old man! Without directly answering the question, Greg had launched a plethora of information toward the teenager. So, the officials were in Europe to calm the English government down about the "mutant situation." Apparently, the U.K. was just enlightened about the existence of genetically-enhanced beings, and the U.S.—as England's ally—was there to share the amassed data.

Taking a furtive look over his shoulder, John caught sight of Lara, casually mingling with a small group of aristocrats. For a split second, their eyes caught, and Lara knew that her plans had changed; John had done better than she had anticipated. Smiling apologetically, the tomb raider bid adieu to her company and found the nearest server.

"Madame?"

"These are tarts, yes?"

"Yes, Madame…"

"Brilliant. You know Madame DePrivat?"

"Yes, Madame…"

"Well she wants these."

"Uh… all of them, Madame?"

"Yes. All of them. Now."

Resigned, the confused server handed over his silver platter to Lara who quickly disappeared into the crowd. Setting the tray down for a moment, Croft retrieved the tracking devices and carefully pushed each tiny device through the bottoms of the pastries. After she brushed away the scattered flakes of the buttery crust, Lara sought out the server whose tray she had stolen. She found him where she had left him, and he appeared to be lost.

"Change of plans, good server. Mimsy would like you to send these tarts over to that table over there."

"Over there, Madame?"

"Yes," Lara enunciated slowly. "_That table_… _over there_." Stuffing some money into his pocket, Croft winked at him. "And she wants _everyone_ to take a tart. Is that understood? You do not leave that table until _everyone_ has taken a tart."

Wide-eyed, the nervous waiter nodded fearfully as he watched Lara saunter away toward his intended destination.

"John?"

All eight pairs of eyes raised themselves from their conversations as Lara Croft placed her hand on the teenager's shoulder.

"Ah! Gentlemen, this is my fiancé, Lara Croft. Lara, these men are government officials from the United States. I'm afraid I've been talking their ears off for some time…"

"Nonsense!" The old man, Gregory, interrupted. He rose from his seat and gave Lara a light kiss on the hand. "We love to be in the company of such fine people."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. I hope that John here hasn't been causing too much trouble?"

Bob waved the matter on with a gesture of his hand. "Actually, we found his company quite entertaining, but now I feel that it has only gotten better!"

"You're too kind," Lara replied as sweetly as possible. But before the others could utter any more compliments, the nervous server approached the table and offered the golden tarts to the occupants.

"From Madame DePrivat," he said dutifully, with a cursory glance at Lara. "She will be most distressed if you do not accept her gift."

Bob shook his head. "I don't know, I'm not really hungry..."

"You must take a tart!" The waiter nearly yelled, his left eye twitching slightly. Hastily, Bob grabbed a pastry and shoved it into his mouth, unsure of why the waiter wanted him to eat the tart so badly.

The official John had come to know as Thomas Marshall shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. Besides, I've heard that DePrivat lady isn't one you should refuse gifts from…"

From over the blackberries on the top of her pastry, Lara watched in satisfaction as every representative popped the sweet delicacy into his mouth. Knowing that they had accomplished their objective, Lara and John shared a victorious look. It was only then when the pairs' attentions were diverted toward a latecomer to the party—a ravishing redhead, clad in the deepest black either of them had ever seen.


	19. The Game

*Author's Note: It certainly has been a long time. As has been customary with me, I shall give a short update and excuse as to why I have not been keeping up with this story. I am now in my third year of college at the University of Florida. You might have heard of it, it's the one that only cares about its football team: the Gators. No, I do not partake in mindless athletic celebration. In fact, I can't wait to get out of here. Secondly, I'm sorry for the unforgivably long break I've taken from this story. When I say I will finish something, you can take my word for it. This story will have an end—a good one. Bear with me. The transition into adulthood leaves little time for fiction writing. For those of you who have been patient, I can't thank you enough. Please enjoy the chapter and know that things will get more interesting. :)

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"We have a visitor," Lara whispered, disguising her comment with a loving grin and a deceptive graze of John's ear. The mutant nodded slowly as his eyes traced the redhead's movements. No European beauty would want to attract mass attention unless she were up to something—unless she had a target.

"It's nice to see two young people in love," Gregory remarked thoughtfully. Lara and John's focuses quickly returned to the representatives' table. They had been unaware of their close proximity and their softly intertwined fingers.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Almost two years," Lara replied without missing her cue. John admired her guile. He himself had been unsure of what to say. Gregory tilted his head and produced a warm smile.

"Ah, smart kids," he chuckled. "The longer you know each other the better. Don't want to get married without being absolutely sure these days. I remember when I proposed to my wife. Took me six years to find the courage! Strangest proposal ever…"

"Do you see her? Maybe I should go and keep an eye on her," Lara whispered covertly into John's ear as the officials gave their attention to Gregory who continued to ramble in the background. John grasped her hand tighter than before.

"Maybe I should," he answered, a strain of worry choking his suggestion. "If that's Mystique, I don't want you to get hurt."

Lara let out a little sigh and smiled at him. "While I do appreciate the sentiment, John, I'm sure you know I can take care of myself. Besides," she whispered more softly, "you don't have your lighter."

She had a point, but that wouldn't deter John from doing this himself.

"Gentlemen! Do any of you recognize my fiancé?"

"John, don't do this…"

"Come now, darling. Don't be so modest!"

The representatives gazed at Lara; only a moment passed when a fourth representative, who had since seemed unbothered to speak, lifted his gaze from his wine glass to peer at her as well.

"The Tomb Raider," he said, a distinct amount of wonder in his voice. John's neck pulsed in time with the antebrachial veins in his palm and forearm. He didn't know if his sudden blood flow was due to the anticipation of confronting the red-haired enemy or fueled by the rapidly coruscating eyes of the politician. He squeezed a smile onto his lips. It was thin, but hopefully genuine.

"If you will excuse me for a moment, gentlemen, I'll have to leave my fiancé to keep you company for a while. I'll return in a few minutes, darling." John kissed Lara on the cheek, gave a thoughtful look to the representatives, and gracefully stepped away from the table. He started to sweat.

The red-head wasn't difficult to spot, and John suspected that was no coincidence. He caught sight of her at the other end of the dance floor, swaying to a different tune than everyone else.

Oil seemed to slide from her breasts to her calves as the air from an open terrace door manipulated the lustrous fabric of her dress. John swallowed hard and wished that he hadn't given his lighter to Lara. How was he going to deal with Mystique when she had the upper hand?

Picking his way through the mass of pearl necklaces and black ties, John made his way to the terrace double doors. They stood open like the gaping mouth of some starched white beast, its belly visible beyond its teeth, black and full of stars.

She waited for him in the doorway. He knew this for sure, because her black eyes were trained on him intently, excitedly. When he approached her, he saw that her eyes were actually a deep gray with shards of yellow permeating their murkiness. She lowered her chin and gazed up at him with the innocence of a whore.

"Drab party," she said. "Why don't you and I take this outside?"

John didn't think it wise to be seen exiting the building with a woman other than his "fiancé." He new that Mimsy's interest in particular had been peaked by the arrival of the mystery woman. The best option was to go back and get Lara.

"I think I like it in here!" He boasted loudly. "Why don't you come join me and Lara? It'll be a grand time!" He grabbed Mystique's wrist and yanked her roughly from her cool stance, his only vehicle the element of surprise. A shudder from Mystique's hand echoed through his palm. He had pushed her into a situation she had not expected and turned the table in his favor.

Lara blanched when she saw John tugging Mystique toward her. _What was he thinking?_

"Darling, look who I found!" John approached the table with a quite uncomfortable looking redhead. The representatives gawked at John's good fortune of knowing so many attractive women.

"Don't you think we should show her around? We're terribly sorry for not synching our arrivals, but you made it nevertheless!"

Lara understood his motives and thought him quite clever.

"Selene, how magnificent to see you tonight! Come. We've much to discuss! Gentlemen, it was a pleasure, but if you'd excuse us…"

All seven men nodded as their mouths had since lost their hinges. John shook the hand of the closest representative, the man who had been ogling Lara earlier, Maxwell Hayes, and dashed off toward Lara and a very upset Mystique.

When they reached the terrace doors, Lara slammed Mystique into the outside adjacent wall, producing a .32 mm handgun aimed at Mystique's face. Both mutants were surprised, but John tried to focus less on where Lara had actually been concealing the small gun and more on the woman pinned against the roughly textured concrete wall.

"Why are you here?" Lara asked, Beretta firmly in hand. Mystique smiled.

"A girl can't come to a party without being harassed these days?"

"John, grab your lighter and heat up the barrel of this gun."

Mystique squirmed. "You expect to interrogate me in the middle of a party?"

"Right thigh, John."

Pyro grabbed his lighter from a garter beneath Lara's dress. In a moment his hand held a small flame beneath Lara's gun.

"How many people do you think will run outside when they hear me scream?" Mystique snarled against Lara's palm around her throat. "It only takes one."

"No one knows you here. They will believe my story, not yours. Now talk before this gun gets hot enough to press against your forehead."

"You don't intimidate me, Lara Croft."

John thought a smile crept onto the tomb raider's lips.

"You were warned."

In one sharp movement, Lara pushed Mystique's throat upward with her left forearm and with her right hand, plunged the burning metal onto the mutant's face. The sizzling sound of flesh and heat popped in John's ears. Mystique tried to scream, but Lara's arm turned her pleas into gurgled nonsense. The smoke continued to rise from Mystique's forehead even after Lara pulled away.

"You… fucking bitch," Mystique panted. She wanted to scream, but her brain rattled in shock. She reverted to her natural form, unable to sustain her façade for any longer. Lara showed her no mercy. She heaved the mutant higher on the wall, pressing her gun firmly into Mystique's abdomen. If the captive woman wanted to glare at Lara, one would be hard pressed to tell. Her yellow eyes lolled languidly behind her blue lids as she continued to pant and blink.

"You're not getting your hands on these representatives. They're under our protection now."

A small, sardonic chuckle gurgled from Mystique's lips. A stunned John and Lara listened as it evolved into a long, echoic cackle.

"You self-righteous, self-proclaimed good guys. You think you've got it all figured out-- that the Brotherhood can't conceive a single plan that you can't ruin." Her blue chest rose and fell methodically now, the pain in her head gradually subsiding to a hot sting.

John held his lighter in anticipation of attack. Suddenly he felt less confident about his and Lara's mission—the mission of the X-Men. He glanced at Lara, who still held Mystique's grinning form against the terrace wall. She didn't look nervous at all.

"You're going to tell me what you're babbling about."

"Oh, am I?" The mutant laughed. "You know, I could have killed you by now, lady Croft, but I think I just enjoy this rivalry far too much."

"She's trying to get to you, Lara. Don't let her."

"I'm well aware of that, John. Thank you."

Mystique cocked her head. "Oh, how precious. The little X-Boy looking out for the world-renowned…"

Lara pistol-whipped Mystique across the face, dropping the mutant to the marble polish of the terrace floor. Before Lara could grab her again, however, Mystique flipped onto her feet and grabbed the tomb raider by her arm, twisting it behind her. Lara flung her free arm around to retaliate, but Mystique was faster, kicking the back of Lara's knees and pinning them down with her own as the tomb raider was forced to kneel. The Beretta was useless, clenched awkwardly behind Lara in her captive hand.

Pyro quickly ignited his lighter and caught a baseball-sized flame in his hands. He tensed his arms and spread his legs in an anxious ready stance, prepared to act if Lara needed him. He watched nervously as Mystique pressed her cheek against Lara's. Her lips grazed the tomb raider's jaw line as she hissed into her ear:

"You can't beat us," Mystique said. "Your plans are futile; your efforts wasted. Even now our machinations unfurl around you, tease you, touch you. And here you are, helpless in my grasp." Lara shivered as Mystique ran her tongue along her cheekbone. The mutant smiled.

"Goodbye, Lara Croft."

"No!" John leapt forward to stop what he had been anticipating all along: the graceful twist of Lara's neck in Mystique's deft blue hands.

Lara tried to shake her captor's embrace, but it was too strong. She thrashed and fumbled with the gun behind her back.

_Now, Lara, now!_

Sweat poured from her face; she saw John hurl himself toward her, eyes blazing with violence and fear. He wouldn't make it in time. Lara struggled all she could, but she still felt Mystique's hands clench her face with the firm hold of finality. With all of her remaining strength, Lara threw herself sideways and hoped she would live to feel the pain of crashing into the mottled marble of the terrace wall.


End file.
